Out of Captivity
by IdPattThat
Summary: Newly divorced from his high school sweetheart, single father Edward Cullen is trying to get his life back on track. That is until, with the help of his daughter, he finds what he didn't know he was missing in an unexpected place.
1. This Life's a Zoo

**Hi there. **** Stephenie owns all this stuff, you know? **

**Thanks a million to oscar519 and laurnorder for prereading/betaing for me and agreeing to work on this silly thing. Love you ladies! **

**This story is mostly written and will hopefully post on Wednesdays. The next chapter will be up tomorrow night, but weekly after that. **

**Happy reading! **

* * *

><p>Out of Captivity<p>

Chapter One – This Life's a Zoo

"_Good morning, it's a beautiful day here in Seattle and we -"_ Edward's hand hit the hard plastic of his alarm clock and he groaned quietly. He rolled over slowly, knowing what would meet him - the same thing that had met him every morning for the past two weeks.

Blonde curls covered her face, her soft snores the only sound in the room. Edward had to smile. Ever since they'd made the move to the three-bedroom condo across town from their old home she'd ended up in bed with him. Each morning he was greeted with a different excuse.

"_My room is too cold." _

"_It smells too new." _

"_Elizabeth doesn't like it." _Edward had to explain that Elizabeth was a doll while his daughter frowned, shrugged and stalked away saying she knew that Elizabeth was a doll but that didn't mean she didn't have feelings.

He brushed her hair away to reveal wide green eyes.

"Hi, Daddy." she grinned toothily. Edward sighed.

"Again, Rae?"

"I told you Daddy. There's a shadow of a scary man trying to grab me." She stuck out her signature bottom lip and he frowned.

"No one is trying to grab you, Reagan." He yanked the covers off of both of them and swung his feet over the side of the bed.

"Can we have French toast for breakfast?" she called as he made his way down the hallway.

"Anything you want, baby girl." Edward replied. He started his coffee and began taking out everything to make breakfast for his daughter. They'd had French toast practically every Saturday since Reagan could eat solid foods. It used to be Rosalie's job to make French toast. It was Rosalie who would lie in bed with their daughter when she had a bad dream. Rosalie picked out Reagan's clothes and got her dressed for school.

Now Rosalie worried about her new boyfriend. These days Rosalie saw her daughter on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Edward bought clothes and kissed boo-boos. He held his daughter when nightmares brought her to his bed in the middle of the night. He wiped her tears when she cried for her mother, and he shed his own while he watched her sleep.

Edward balanced a carton of eggs in his hand as he reached for the tub of butter. And, as the eggs tumbled from his grip, he realized there was a reason he was a Mathlete instead of a football player. They cracked spectacularly on the tile floor of his kitchen and he sighed deeply

Maybe they'd go out for breakfast today.

xXx

"Daddy? Can we go see the monkeys?" Reagan held her father's hand tightly as they strolled through the Woodland Park Zoo.

"Sure. Can we have lunch first? Daddy's starving." Edward said and rubbed his stomach for full effect. Reagan laughed and leaned into her father's side.

"I know. I could hear your tummy when we were watching that stupid movie."

"Hey, not nice," Edward scolded softly.

"Okay, it was _boring_," she said, rolling her bright green eyes. Edward laughed and pulled his daughter into the little restaurant with the view of the butterfly garden. She nibbled chicken nuggets and watched butterflies flitter back and forth. He watched her.

It had been six months since he and Rosalie divorced. When the initial separation came about, Edward moved out of the house and into a large condo across town. He wanted to make the transition for Reagan as comfortable as possible. It wasn't long after he moved out that Rosalie had called him in tears. Edward had immediately thought that she wanted him to come home and part of him really wanted to.

She didn't want him to come home.

Rosalie wanted Edward to take full custody of their daughter so she could _find herself._

Edward agreed. Of course he agreed. Ever since he'd found out he was going to be a father, Edward couldn't think of anything else. He and Rosalie were married just before Reagan was born in a small, intimate ceremony. After graduation, he went straight to work for an up and coming accounting firm. He worked long hours and earned good money, sometimes at the expense of nights with his family. Those nights are part of the reasons he blames himself for the divorce. If he had been around a little bit more and worked a little bit less, maybe Rose wouldn't have done what she did.

Then again, Edward thought as he watched his daughter's mesmerized face, Rosalie should have thought of their family and not herself.

"C'mon monkey. Let's go see the monkeys." Edward cleaned up their trays and held out his hand. Reagan smiled winningly and led her father through the zoo.

"Oh! Daddy can we go see the penguins first?" Reagan stopped suddenly and changed directions causing Edward to stumble a bit.

"Whatever you want," he sighed and followed her into the man-made stone cave. She immediately walked to the big window into the aquarium and pressed her face against it, mesmerized. Edward smiled as he watched her. She was completely enthralled with how the penguins moved, gliding smoothly through the water, almost chasing each other.

"Daddy, are these penguins from the Arctic?" Reagan tugged her father's shirt impatiently.

"Actually, these penguins are from Peru," a voice said from behind them. Edward and Reagan turned to find a young woman carrying two large buckets toward a side door in the exhibit. She set the buckets down and joined the two of them at the window. "They like the rocks on the coast of Peru so we recreated it here for them."

The woman smiled down at Reagan who was once again mesmerized, only this time by the person in front of her.

"What do they eat?"

"Fish, of course!" The woman laughed and pointed toward her buckets. "Lots and lots of fish. I'm going to feed them soon, you can watch right here." She pointed to another observation window where you could see above the surface of the water. Reagan ran to it quickly, leaving Edward and the woman alone.

"She is gorgeous," the stranger said. Edward wanted to agree with her, he did, because he felt the same way about his daughter. But he was having a terrible time tearing his eyes away from the woman's face, pale and heart shaped, framed with dark brown hair and wide brown eyes.

"Oh. Oh, thanks," he finally muttered as they took off toward where Reagan had gone.

"How old is she?"

"Seven," Edward answered. "Going on seventeen, I think," he added.

"I'm Bella." The woman held out her hand. Edward took it, quite willingly, and smiled.

"Edward. And that's Reagan. We're very pleased to meet you and your penguins."

"Oh, I just borrow them from the zoo," Bella grinned.

"Do you have parties with them?" Reagan asked, clearly understanding Bella's joke more than Edward.

"Of course! They are horrible dancers though." She stuck her hands on her hips and shook her head. Reagan laughed.

"Well that's because they can only waddle!"

"Not like you and me of course!" Bella took Reagan's hand and spun her around gracefully.

"You're a good dancer," Reagan giggled and fell into Edward's side.

"I have a good partner," Bella tapped the little girl's nose and smiled. "I've got to go feed my friends. Come to the window, okay?"

She gave Edward a soft smile as she straightened herself up.

"It was very nice to meet you, Edward. And you, Reagan."

"Bye Bella!" Reagan called as her new friend walked away.

"C'mon baby girl, let's go watch," Edward said as he led her back to the tank. They could just see Bella on the makeshift rocks inside the habitat. Edward couldn't help but smile as they watched her interact with the birds. He could tell she was talking to them as she fed them; tossing fish to them and watching the birds scurry around each other.

"Bella's pretty." Reagan's eyes focused on Bella through the thick glass. Edward followed her gaze.

She was right. Though the khaki colored uniform was extremely unflattering, on Bella it wasn't so bad. Her long, dark hair was pulled into a messy ponytail at the base of her neck; long, pale legs were wrapped up in high-topped hiking boots.

He watched how she laughed, carefree and oblivious to anyone watching her. She was beautiful, innocent even. Watching her, seeing how she interacted with Reagan, the enjoyment she got from her job and the sheer happiness she seemed to exude, made Edward feel things he hadn't in quite a while.

He was intrigued.

He was happy that his little girl was smiling.

And most of all, he was hopeful.

* * *

><p><strong>Can't wait to hear what you think! :)<strong>


	2. Second Chance at First Glance

**SM still owns 'em. **

**Guys. Really. I'm in awe of you. I can't believe how much love there is after just one chapter. Thank you so, so much! **

**Thanks to oscar519 and laurnorder for betaing! **

* * *

><p>Chapter Two – Second Chance at First Glance<p>

"I'm sure she's very attractive, J," Edward muttered into the phone. "Right. You said that. I _know_ Al really likes her. No, one dinner couldn't hurt. _Christ_, Jasper. I'll see you at seven, okay?"

He hung up the phone and glared at it as it sat innocently on the cradle. Not that the piece of plastic had done anything. It was mainly his best friend Jasper's doing. Jasper and Alice had been trying to set Edward up since the week his divorce was final. He loved them both for it, but it still seemed like it was a bit soon.

Jasper was Edward's best friend though. He was the one that had been there for Edward through everything. Edward met Jasper soon after he'd starting working at his firm. At first, Edward thought he was nothing but a dirty hippie, but he soon proved to be one of the best accountants with the firm.

Alice really wanted Edward to meet a friend of hers from high school that had recently moved to the city. Sometimes Alice's bubbly (that's what Jasper called it) personality was a little much for Edward to handle. Not that he didn't like Alice, because really did. Reagan loved her as well. Alice always sent little gifts and girly things to work with Jasper for Edward to give to his daughter.

Alice was at the top of the list when Reagan asked for something that wasn't a necessity. Twinkle Toes and Zhu-Zhu pets were the most recent items that had Edward pulling his hair out. Who knew light up shoes and battery-operated hamsters would be so hard to find?

Needless to say, though Alice was sometimes annoying, she could be really helpful, too.

At seven o'clock sharp, Edward was knocking on the Whitlock's front door. There were no unfamiliar cars in the drive so Edward assumed that Alice's friend had not yet arrived. The giggling on the other side of the door made Edward smile and his heart ache for his little girl.

"Hi, Edward!" three voices chorused when the door opened. Edward laughed at his best friend and the two children hanging off of his limbs.

"Hey guys." Edward pried the little girl off of her father's leg and tossed her into the air. She squealed with laughter when he caught her and kissed her loudly.

"Edward don't make her vomit before bedtime, please." Alice smiled and kissed his cheek then removed Sophie from his arms.

"Aw, you're no fun Mom!" Christopher whined as he slid from his father's back. Jasper smirked and walked away like he was trying not to get involved.

"Yeah, yeah. Go get washed up," she said as she ruffled his hair and pushed him toward the stairs with her free hand.

Jasper came back from the kitchen and handed Edward a beer.

"Bella's running late. She'll be here in a few," Alice told them both. Edward felt his stomach drop as he was suddenly overwhelmed with nerves.

"Wait – Bella?"

"Yeah, a friend of mine from high school," Alice explained as she quickly made Sophie a plate of food and fed her in her high chair. Edward watched with a smile and tried to calm himself. It had been quite some time since he'd been on a date or had even acknowledged a woman besides Rosalie. He couldn't help but wonder if it was too soon, or if he was making the wrong decision for himself and his daughter

Then again, it was only one dinner.

xXx

Bella smoothed her hair as she stepped up to her friend's home. She'd been apprehensive when Alice mentioned a friend of her husband's but had agreed to a dinner anyways. It had been nearly a year since her split with Jacob. Not that he had done anything wrong. He was, for all intents and purposes, the epitome of a perfect boyfriend. He just wasn't perfect for _her_.

She rang the doorbell, expecting to hear the sound of little feet coming to greet her. Getting back in touch with Alice apparently meant that her biological clock was being restarted. It wasn't that Bella didn't _want_ children, she just didn't want them anytime soon. Bella saw enough of them at the zoo and what she saw wasn't necessarily the cream of the crop.

She was pretty sure that it should be outlawed for some people to breed.

_Of course_, she thought, _some people were designed to make gorgeous, polite children._ Bella couldn't help but smile as she thought of the beautiful man and his daughter that she'd met recently. They no doubt went home to an equally beautiful mother and maybe even some more pretty babies with their father's eyes. Not that Bella noticed his eyes. Or the little girl's for that matter. She didn't take a second glance at the intense shade of emerald green or wonder how people even _had _eyes that color.

Bella pushed the pretty man out of her mind and rang the doorbell again.

"Hold your horses, woman!" She heard Jasper yell through the door. He smiled as he swung it open.

"Horsies?" Sophie looked from her father to Bella with big eyes. When she realized there were no "horsies" she frowned and did her best to glare at the two of them. Jasper laughed and handed the little girl off to her "Auntie Bella".

"Great, Jasper. Just great. She's going to associate me with unfulfilled wants and dreams from now on." Bella kissed Sophie's cheek to try and stop her pouting while Jasper took off toward the kitchen.

"Just like your last boyfriend!" Jasper called. Bella bit back her retort and simply rolled her eyes.

"You know Jasper, you keep talking like that and I'm going to think–" she started but stopped abruptly when stepped into the kitchen. " –you don't like me." She finished lamely and tried to tear her gaze away from the man across the room from her.

Those green eyes she was just thinking about were staring right back at her. Bella was so surprised that she nearly dropped the little girl in her arms. _He_ couldn't be the one Alice was setting him up with. _He _was married with a beautiful daughter. He _was _married, wasn't he?

"Edward." She breathed his name and watched his face light up with an exuberant smile.

"Penguin girl," he laughed and ran a hand through his copper hair. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Likewise. Who knew Jasper had friends that could walk upright?" she said and watched Jasper clutch at his chest and feign offense.

"You wound me, woman!" he took Sophie from Bella's arms and Edward stepped forward and extended his hand.

"It's nice to see you again," Edward said softly as Bella slipped her hand into his.

"I take it you've met?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I took Rae to the zoo last weekend. She really enjoyed the penguins," Edward replied with his eyes on Bella's face.

"Yeah. Me too," Bella said then shook her head minutely realizing that her words didn't make any sense. "I mean, she was lovely. I was glad she enjoyed it. Is she here? I'd love to see her. She was so sweet!" Bella rambled on wishing that something would fall from the ceiling just to make her _shut up._

Edward smiled sadly. "No. No, she's at her mom's."

_Divorced? Separated? Never married? _

Those things ran through Bella's head as she released his hand and returned his smile. She actually _was_ disappointed about not seeing the little girl.

Bella accepted a glass of wine from Alice and hoped it would calm her nerves. She had been so calm before she knew the man she was being set up with was _Edward_.

"So Edward, you work with Jasper?"

"Well, I don't know if you can call it work when we're together," Edward replied with a laugh. Jasper nodded from beside him.

"Mostly we play Spades online," Jasper explained.

"No, _you_ play Spades. Then you call and ask _me_ how to play Spades when _I'm_ trying to work." Edward shook his head but smiled at his friend.

"What? Spades is a hard game!" Jasper fruitlessly tried to defend himself.

"I told you to stick with Solitaire, baby," Alice said as she took Sophie from his arms. "I'm going to get Sophie ready for bed and then we'll eat, okay?"

The three of them nodded and then stood silently and awkwardly for a moment.

"I'm just going to go… check on Christopher," Jasper said in a rush as he slipped out of the kitchen.

"So, you went to high school with Alice?" Edward asked. He smiled at Bella and she felt as if his smile was radiating heat, warming her body.

"I did," she nodded and sipped her wine, desperate to calm her nerves. "Did you go to college with Jasper?"

"No, we met when I started at the firm. I think he and Alice had just had Christopher so it's been fun watching him grow up. He and Rae get along great."

"It's funny, you know? We've known these people for all this time but we've never met?" Bella mused quietly.

"You just recently moved to Seattle, correct?" Edward asked. He refilled her wine glass and took another beer for himself, then ushered her out the side door of the kitchen and onto the dimly lit patio.

"A few months ago," she sipped her wine, enjoying how it spread throughout her body and intensified what she was feeling with Edward in such close proximity. "And you?"

"I've been here a few years; I grew up a few hours away. Rose and I met in high school. We had Reagan and got married my junior year of college." Edward explained.

"Rose? Your wife?" Bella felt her stomach and heart sink.

"Ex-wife."

"Oh." Her spirits were minimally lifted, and then she only felt guilty for her happiness.

Edward laughed. "You're thinking very hard, aren't you?"

"I just… Alice said she wanted me to meet you and I'm happy to find out you're divorced. Then I feel like a complete asshole for being happy!"

He laughed again and sipped from the bottle in his hand, the smile on his face clearly showed his amusement and Bella felt her face heat up.

"You're not making me feel any better." A frown crossed her pretty face, which only made Edward laugh more.

"I wouldn't have agreed to meet you if I wasn't divorced." Edward replied quietly once his laughter had stopped.

"I should hope not," Bella whispered in response. She watched him for a long moment, his brow furrowed in thought, his jade eyes burning into hers.

"Dinner's ready!" Alice's voice brought them from their thoughts and ended the moment abruptly. They followed her back inside and took seats on opposite sides of the dining table. Christopher settled himself next to Edward, in Reagan's usual seat, and smiled up at him.

They ate and chatted quietly. Alice maintained conversation well and for once Edward was grateful of her socializing skills. He could still see the wheels in Bella's head turning and wondered what on Earth was bothering her about their set-up.

As Alice brought out homemade cherry pie, Edward's phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out and frowned when he saw Rosalie's name flashing across the screen.

"Excuse me," he muttered and left the dining room. "Hello?"

"Edward? I need your help," her voice was quiet but semi-panicked.

"What's wrong? Is Reagan okay?"

"No, Edward. _God_. She won't stop crying," Rose's voice went from panicked to frustrated very quickly.

"Rosalie. She's seven. Ask her what's wrong," Edward sighed.

"She wants you," came her clipped reply.

"What?" He asked dumbly.

"She just… she wants to go _home_."

Edward had somewhat expected that this would happen. Reagan had become very comfortable at their condo. Often, she spoke of how she missed her mother or drew pictures with the same sentiment. But there were some days when she didn't mention Rosalie at all. It made Edward sad that he sometimes felt that way, too. But then again, Rose had made her choice and it was something she had to live with.

"What do you want me to do, Rose?"

"I don't know, Edward. I miss her but I don't want her to be miserable all night…" she trailed off, clearly upset at her daughter's behavior.

"I'm at Alice and Jasper's. I'll be there in… fifteen minutes."

"I'm sorry. I know it's my night I just–" she began but Edward cut her off.

"It's fine, Rose. I don't want her to be upset either. I'll see you soon." He hung up before she could protest and made his way back into the dining room.

"Is everything alright?" Alice asked when he didn't take his seat. Edward exchanged a glance with Bella before setting his eyes on his friend.

"No, I've got to go pick up Reagan. She's not… adjusting well."

"That's no surprise," Jasper muttered from the end of the table. Edward merely shrugged and mussed Christopher's hair.

"Thank you for dinner, Alice," he kissed her cheek and she hugged him tightly. "I'll see you Monday," Edward said turning to Jasper who nodded at him.

"I'll walk you out." Bella stood up quickly and made her way around the table. Edward nodded and gave everyone a small wave before following Bella down the hall and into the foyer.

"It was great to see you again," Edward said softly. Bella nodded and bit her lip.

"You'll have to bring Reagan to see me soon," Bella said with a smile. She fought the urge to smooth the collar of his shirt, to touch him in any way. Instead, she held out her hand and shook his gently.

"I will," he nodded then surprised himself _and_ Bella when he bent down and kissed her cheek softly. "Goodnight, Bella."

Bella didn't have a chance to respond because he was out the door before she could regain her composure.

xXx

Edward pulled up in the driveway of Rosalie's house, _his house_, with a heavy heart. He was sad to have to leave dinner and was looking forward to talking more with Bella. Of course, like in most decisions he made, Reagan came first. He knocked on the front door, feeling absurd at the fact that he had to ask permission to enter the home he lived in for so long.

When the door opened, he remembered why he knocked.

"Edward, hey!" Rosalie's new _boyfriend_ greeted him with a wide smile.

"Emmett." Edward replied curtly as he stepped around him. Emmett was nice, though Edward didn't really care for him. He was the man who stole his wife, after all.

"She's upstairs, I think Rosie finally got her to stop crying," Emmett explained. Edward didn't respond because he was already halfway up the stairs.

There was something about the scene in Reagan's room that still made his heart skip a beat. His daughter was wrapped in her mother's arms, a book between them. Rosalie read quietly, her face close to her daughter's while the little girl listened with rapt attention.

That was until she saw her father. She practically flew out of the bed and into his arms. He lifted her up and she wrapped herself tightly around him.

"I missed you, Daddy," she whispered against his skin.

Edward tore his eyes from Rosalie's anguished face and pulled back so he could see his daughter's face.

"We talked about this," he whispered. Reagan's green eyes filled with tears as she looked at her father.

"I know, but I want to go home." Her bottom lip quivered and so did his resolve.

"Tell Mommy goodnight," Edward said as he set her on her feet. He watched as Rose pulled their daughter into her arms and hugged her tightly.

"I love you, sweet girl," she whispered.

"I love you, Mommy." Reagan gave her mother a wide smile before holding her hand out to Edward. "Ready, Daddy?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you downstairs," he smiled down at her. "I'm sorry," he said to Rosalie.

"It's not your fault, Edward," Rosalie replied sadly.

"I know. But it doesn't mean I'm not sorry," he said.

"Thanks. For being you." She gave him a small smile. He laughed quietly.

"Goodnight, Rose."

Edward found Reagan standing at the door wearing the backpack she used for traveling back and forth. Emmett stood a few feet away watching her.

"She doesn't like me," he whispered to Edward when he walked by.

"Tough luck," Edward shrugged and pulled Reagan into his arms. She giggled and hugged him tightly then stuck her tongue out at Emmett as they walked out the door.

At home, Edward gave his daughter a huge bowl of ice cream and let her stay up far past her bedtime.

As the end credits of _Sleeping Beauty_ rolled and Reagan snored softly against Edward's leg, his phone buzzed from the end table. He picked it up, expecting Rosalie, not an unknown number.

"Hello?" he answered warily and checked the clock feeling that it was awfully late to be receiving unknown calls.

"Edward?" The voice on the other end was soft and feminine.

"Yes?"

"It's Bella. Bella Swan. Alice gave me your number tonight and I just wanted to…" Bella trailed off as Edward's pulse sped up. He would have stood up and paced except for the fact that his daughter was asleep on his lap.

"Well, I'll have to thank Alice later then seeing as I managed to leave without getting yours."

"No need to thank her, now you have it. No harm, no foul." Edward could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke and he smiled too.

"Good. Good to know."

"I just wanted to tell you that I had a nice time tonight and it was really good to see you again."

"Yes, you mentioned that earlier."

"I'm paying you a compliment, don't be an ass."

Edward fought the laughter that bubbled inside of him. She was feisty.

"Then thank you for the compliment, but I feel that I'm not worthy of it considering I had to leave."

"You have responsibilities. I understand that."

"Thank you." Edward replied as sincerely as he could.

"But I do expect a rain check," Bella quipped.

"Well, now that I have your number, I fully intend to see that you get it."

"I'll hold you to that, Edward."

"I have no intention of breaking our deal, Bella," Edward said, enjoying the way her name rolled off his tongue.

"Good," she laughed. "I'll, uh, let you get back to your evening then."

"I'll be calling later to establish a time for your payment," Edward grinned like a fool and thanked his lucky stars that no one could see him.

"I'll be waiting."

"Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight," she replied before hanging up and leaving Edward thoroughly amused. He carefully lifted Reagan's sleeping form and carried her to her room. She went into her own bed quite willingly and snuggled deeply under the covers. He tucked the blankets around her and made his way out of the room.

"Daddy?" Her voice was groggy but her eyes were wide.

"Yes?" Edward turned to her.

"I know Mommy was sad, but she doesn't understand," Reagan said softly.

"What doesn't she understand, baby?" Edward asked, taking a seat on the bed again. Reagan moved quickly and knelt in front of him with her hands on his face.

"She doesn't understand that I didn't want to leave you all alone. Mommy always has Emmett to keep her company but if I'm not here you don't have anybody," she said sadly.

Edward pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. He gave a deep, shuddering breath and kissed her cheek.

"I love you, sweet girl. So, so much," he whispered.

"I love you too, Daddy," she replied, beaming with happiness.

"Daddy is always thinking about you, that way I'm never alone, got it?"

"Got it." She nodded solemnly. She kissed him on the nose before climbing back under the covers. "Goodnight, Daddy." Edward smiled and made his way out of her bedroom again, this time actually making it to the door before he had an idea.

"How do you feel about going to the zoo tomorrow?"

* * *

><p><strong>To those asking : EB are 30/28.**

**New chapters will post on Wednesdays. I'll be doing review replies with teasers on Friday, hopefully. **

**Thank you for reading! **


	3. Dinner for Three

**Happy Humpday! **

**Stephenie owns them. **

**Thank you so, so much for reading. I can't even tell you how much you make me smile. **

**Laurnorder and oscar519 beta and crack whips to make me do stuff. Really. They do. **

* * *

><p>Chapter Three – Dinner for Three<p>

"Daddy, do you want the rest of my ice cream cone?" Reagan asked while handing the melting chocolate cone up to Edward. He sighed and took it, chocolate dripping onto his light blue t-shirt.

"You got it on you," Reagan pointed out matter-of-factly. Edward scowled ahead. Reagan was having what he'd come to call a "Diva Day". First, she refused to wear what he'd put out for her, then refused to eat her breakfast. What killed Edward was her actual use of the word _refuse_.

Sometimes, he really hated her expensive private school and advanced vocabulary.

Edward didn't waste his breath on arguing with his seven-year-old that _she_ was actually the one who dripped the ice cream on his shirt. Instead, he found the nearest water fountain and cleaned the spot up before his daughter dragged him off again. He was on pins and needles as they walked around the zoo.

He was worried about being presumptuous by bringing Reagan to see Bella. But then again, Bella _had_ said to come see her. When they finally arrived at the penguin habitat (which both Reagan and Edward had memorized the way to), Edward felt like his insides were in a knot. A small crowd had gathered at the window at the front of exhibit and Edward could hear Bella over the crowd as she explained about the penguins.

"I can't see," Reagan said with a pout. Edward checked her hands for leftover snacks before he lifted her onto his shoulders so she could see.

"Better?" he asked once she'd rested her chin on the top of his head and wrapped her hands under his chin.

"Thank you," she said, her chin digging into the top of his head.

"Anytime," he muttered and tried to loosen her grasp.

"Can we go closer?"

"Rae, we'll wait until Bella's done _then_ we can go see her."

"Bella? I don't want to see Bella! I want to see the penguins!" Reagan said with a laugh. Edward would have beat his head into the nearest wall were he not surrounded by complete strangers. He should have known the precocious seven-year-old would have completely turned the situation around on him. After all, he was the one who wanted to see Bella. Edward could only hope that Reagan wouldn't blow his cover.

When the crowd finally dispersed, Reagan practically jumped off of Edward's shoulders and ran to the observation window. Edward had to laugh as he watched her. He longed to feel the excitement that she felt about _anything_.

Of course, when he saw Bella, and his heart fluttered in that unfamiliar way, he thought he might know _exactly_ what she felt.

"You came to see me!" Bella exclaimed. Reagan turned to her with a huge smile and Edward watched in surprise when his daughter ran to Bella. She squealed with laughter when Bella lifted her into her arms and Edward couldn't help but laugh too.

"Of course we did. Daddy said you were at Aunt Alice's and I was sad that I didn't get to see you," Reagan said. Bella set her down and smiled up at Edward.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. It's the whole truth. Well, and Daddy wanted to ask you to lunch. But you didn't hear that from me!" She said with a grin. Edward felt his ears burn as he stepped up behind his daughter and pulled her to his side.

"All right, big mouth." He covered Reagan's mouth with his hand and her laughter bubbled through his fingers. "_Would_ you like to go to lunch?" Edward asked a very amused Bella.

"Can we make it dinner instead?" She gave him a smile and he nodded in agreement.

"We can make it anything you want," he said softly.

Bella felt her cheeks burn at his intense gaze.

"Dinner it is. I'll… call you?" she asked.

"Yeah, we'll be around," Edward told her.

"We'll talk soon then," Bella said. She bent down to tap Reagan's nose, then quickly kissed Edward's cheek and walked away before he could say anything.

"I like her," Reagan said while she watched Bella walk away.

"Me too." Edward muttered, more to himself than his daughter.

They spent the rest of the day at the zoo and then the mall for a quick shopping trip. By the time they got home, Bella had called and they'd agreed to have dinner at Edward's. That meant that Edward had to make an impromptu trip to the grocery store and then he and Reagan would do their famous "Whirlwind Cleaning". Of course, that was just what Edward and Reagan called it when they ran around the house picking up random things and shoving them places.

After cleaning the house, they cleaned up themselves. Edward let Reagan pick out her own clothes (a frilly yellow sundress and sparkly pink ballet slippers), and then he let her pick out his clothes. He actually didn't protest to the jeans and plain black t-shirt.

When Bella buzzed from downstairs, Edward let Reagan talk to her and push the button to let her in. Bella knocked and Edward had to race Reagan to the door. He managed to grab her around the waist and throw her over his shoulder before they reached their destination. Edward opened the door and his laughter caught in his throat. As impossible as it seemed, Edward was almost positive that Bella got more beautiful each time he saw her.

Tonight was no different.

Her hair was wavy and shiny, resting in soft curls on her shoulders. Big brown eyes were framed with dark, thick lashes. Deep green cotton hugged her body and Edward wanted nothing more than to peel it off the dress and – no. It was a little soon to think _those_ particular things. Edward stepped aside to let her in while Reagan giggled her way through a greeting.

"We're having pizza!" Reagan cried when Edward finally put her down. She gave Bella a fleeting hug before running off to the kitchen.

"Pizza?" Bella raised an eyebrow. She wouldn't have been surprised if Edward had ordered takeout.

"_Homemade_ pizza," Edward grinned.

Bella should have known better than to underestimate him.

"I'm impressed."

"I'd save that sentiment until after you've eaten," Edward laughed good-naturedly and slipped his hand onto the small of Bella's back. "C'mon. I'll show you around before Rae steals you away."

Edward showed Bella around his home: Reagan's colorful bedroom, the office-turned-playroom, and his bedroom. He pointed out the bathroom that Reagan claimed and decorated with bright yellow rubber duck _everything_ and then briefly showed her the view of the park they had.

When they finally arrived back at the kitchen, Reagan was standing on her stool wearing her pink flowered apron over her dress. When custody had first been settled and Edward started experimenting with cooking, Alice had bought them _both_ their own aprons. Reagan's was some fancy brand Edward had never heard of, but Jasper had picked out Edward's: plain white with the words _Accountants do it with Interest_ on it.

"I'd hate for you to ruin that pretty dress," Edward whispered in Bella's ear as he slipped his apron over her head. He smiled as he watched the color rise in her skin and stepped away from her so she could tie the apron. Edward lifted Reagan onto the counter next to the different toppings they'd prepared earlier.

"Okay, we've got dough over here," Edward pointed to where he'd already shaped three pies. "Sauce and cheese are next to them and over here," he turned quickly and tickled Reagan before speaking again, "is any topping you want."

"Pineapple?"

"Gross." Edward made a face. "And, yes."

"Why would you have it if you think it's gross?" Bella laughed.

"Rae likes to eat it while we wait for the pizzas to cook." Edward shrugged and Reagan nodded from behind him.

"It's my favorite fruit ever," She grinned and Bella couldn't help but smile with her. The kid's smile was infectious.

"All right ladies, let's get to work!" Edward clapped his hands and helped Reagan down. She pushed her stool over to the counter where the dough was and started dripping sauce onto one of them. Bella stood by and watched.

"You do this a lot?" she asked.

"Once a week," Edward shrugged and popped a piece of pineapple in his mouth.

"How often does she stay with you?"

"Oh, she's always with me." Edward intervened when Reagan piled on so much cheese it looked as if she'd made a small mountain. She grumbled softly about her "mountain" before continuing to sprinkle it all over her sauce.

"_Always_?"

"Rose has her Wednesdays and Saturdays. Unless it's like last night and she wants to come home, of course." He shrugged and moved Reagan's pizza to the opposite counter so she could put on her own toppings.

"Was it bad?" Bella asked softly as she and Edward started to cover their pizzas with sauce and cheese.

"Not the worst," he answered. Bella left it at that, not wanting to ruin their night by talking about depressing things.

"How did you…" Bella trailed off. No, she didn't want to talk about depressing things. She also didn't want to overstep her boundaries with Edward so soon But she was also very, _very_ curious.

"It's a long story," Edward said. Bella nodded and let the subject drop, though she still had so many questions. "I'll tell you. One day."

"Oh, you don't have to," Bella said quickly. Edward turned to her with a soft smile.

"It's fine, Bella." He gently moved her out of the way so he could move their pizzas over and put Reagan's in the oven. She'd made a smiley face out of pepperonis.

"Daddy, can I watch a movie?" she asked with big, bright eyes from her stool.

"Why don't you let Bella pick one out?" He kissed her forehead and scooted her out of the kitchen. Reagan held out her hand and Bella took it apprehensively before the little girl dragged her into the living room.

Bella watched as Reagan pulled out a drawer under the television and poured over the DVDs in it.

"Do you like princesses, Bella?"

"Of course, who doesn't like them?"

"I don't think Daddy likes them very much." Reagan wrinkled her nose and kept perusing. Bella knelt beside her, amazed at the contents of the drawer. It was like her childhood had come to life in a drawer full of Disney movies.

"But he watches them with you anyways?" Bella asked as she let her finger trail over the movies, trying to help the little girl pick one.

"Oh, yes. He sings the songs to me too." Reagan smiled up at Bella while Bella pictured the handsome man in the kitchen singing a string of Disney songs. That made her smile more than anything else that night.

"Do you like _The Little Mermaid_, Bella?" Reagan's voice broke through Bella's thoughts.

"I do. It was my favorite when I was a little girl." She tapped Reagan's nose.

"It was my mommy's favorite too," Reagan said as she loaded the DVD player and turned on the television. "Do you like to color?"

"Oh, I haven't colored in a long time," Bella admitted to Reagan's wide eyes.

"Do you want to color?"

"Maybe later, okay? I think I'm going to help your daddy with dinner." Bella stood up.

Reagan nodded. "Okay. Sometimes he burns the bottom of the crust. You should make sure he doesn't do that."

"I will," Bella laughed.

"What's funny?" Edward asked when Bella re-entered the kitchen.

"Reagan says you burn the pizza and I should help you," Bella explained. Edward pretended to scowl.

"Only because she distracts me while we cook. I think last time she overflowed the bathtub," he explained while he poured two glasses of wine.

Bella laughed again and took the glass from Edward, sipping quietly and watching him move about the kitchen.

"So, do you have any brothers or sisters?" Bella asked once Edward had packed away the leftover toppings and leaned against the counter opposite her.

"Nope. Just me. My parents were _career people_. They actually ended up divorcing when I was in middle school. They're still on decent terms, though. How about you?"

"No. My mom passed away when I was about Reagan's age. It's always just been me and my dad."

"Oh. Oh, I'm sorry," Edward muttered so his feet.

"You're sweet," she said as she ran her hand down his arm gently. "Dad was a little rough at first, but we made do."

"I know the feeling," Edward laughed. Bella smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she'd smiled so much.

"I think the pizzas are ready," she said. He raised an eyebrow at her before opening the oven. Edward turned to her with an appraising look.

"I think you'll do just fine here," he said with a grin. Bella felt her insides flip upside down at his words.

"Should I set the table?"

"Oh, yeah," Edward handed her a stack of plates and went about cutting the pizzas. He served them and Reagan said the blessing, something Bella hadn't done in quite some time. She enjoyed the experience of dinner with the little family and was amazed at how polite and smart Reagan was.

Bella had never really dated anyone besides Jacob, so she'd never been involved with anyone who had children. It wasn't something she was ever really interested in, if she were honest. Bella always felt that people with children carried too much baggage to really commit themselves to a relationship. But… being there with Edward, she forgot completely about any thought she ever had on the subject.

After dessert of smoothies with fresh fruit, Edward tried fruitlessly to usher Reagan off to the bathroom to clean up and get ready for bed.

"But you and Bella will have fun without me!" She stomped her little sparkly foot and Edward tried not to roll his eyes.

"I'm very boring. I'm sure Bella won't have any fun at all," he explained. She watched him tentatively while she thought.

"That's true," Reagan shrugged and gave Bella a tight hug. "Goodnight, Bella. I'm glad you came over."

"I'll be back, make yourself at home," Edward said as he followed a skipping Reagan down the hall. Bella poured herself another glass of wine and stood at the end of the hallway listening to Edward interact with his daughter.

"Who's your favorite Daddy?" he asked as he tucked her into bed.

"You are! You're my only Daddy!"

"Good. I love you."

"Will you sing me my song?" she asked with a sleepy little voice. Bella's feet moved her closer to the bedroom until she could see Edward kneeling on the floor at the side of Reagan's bed. The girl's eyes fluttered closed as her father song softly to her, brushing her hair from her face.

"_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear - "_

"_How much I love you,"_ Reagan interjected sleepily.

"_Oh, please don't take my sunshine away." _Edward finished and kissed Reagan's forehead.

"Goodnight, Daddy," she muttered before turning her back on him. He sat for a moment, then tucked her covers around her and stood. Bella stood, unashamedly, in the doorway.

"Hey," Edward greeted her softly. He shut Reagan's bedroom door and slipped his arm around her waist, resting his hand on her hip and pulling her down the hall.

"I can't get over how amazing you are with her," Bella admitted once they'd reached the living room. Bella took a seat in the middle of the big leather couch and tucked her feet underneath her, having depositing her strappy brown wedges at the door. Edward left and returned quickly with two refreshed glasses of chilled wine.

"She's my kid; I kind of have to be," he laughed and ran a hand through his hair. Bella smiled.

"I know," she replied. "I guess I admire you for it."

"I know that our custody isn't exactly what usually happens but… I guess I wouldn't have it any other way, you know?"

"Understandable." Bella smiled.

"So, tell me about birds, Penguin Girl." Edward grinned.

"What do you want to know?" Bella asked.

"Anything. But first, why birds? They're kind of creepy."

"I loved animals as a kid, so I went into Avian Studies. My dad was really hoping for Law," she said with a laugh.

"Way to crush a man's dreams, Bella," Edward joked.

"He understood. He's a small town cop, so he always wanted more for me. This is what _I_ wanted."

"Good for you."

"Did you always want to be an accountant?" Bella asked fingering the rim of her wine glass. Edward watched her with rapt attention, noticing the way she pulled her bottom lip in with her teeth and how eyelashes fanned across her pale skin when she looked down.

"Does anyone ever _want_ to be an accountant?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I don't know that's why I asked!" Bella tried to defend herself.

"I always loved math, it was just the natural thing to do." Edward shrugged and stood up. "More wine?"

"I should really be going," Bella said sadly.

"Oh, is my math talk boring you?" he asked with a sly grin while he walked to the kitchen.

"No," she replied shyly, following him. _I'd never get tired of hearing you talk,_ she thought. "I have an early shift and I'll be crankier than those damn polar bears if I don't get enough sleep."

Edward laughed heartily at that while he rinsed out their glasses. He wordlessly moved away from the sink and rested his hand on her back as he'd done earlier then walked Bella to the door.

"I'm glad you came tonight," Edward said softly. Bella slipped into her shoes, standing a bit taller but still only eye level with Edward's chin.

"I'm glad you invited me."

"I'm glad you're glad." He smiled.

"I'd be even gladder if you kissed me right now," Bella blurted out. She regretted her words immediately as she watched Edward step away and run a hand nervously through his hair.

"I– I– " he stammered and she wished she could just melt away and disappear through the cracks in the floor.

"I'm sorry! That was too forward of me. I shouldn't have…" she trailed off and turned for the door seeing as she wasn't melting any time soon.

"No! I mean… I just – I wasn't sure…"

"Edward. Let's just clear the air, okay?" Bella asked in a serious tone.

"O…kay?" Edward shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what she was going to say.

"I adore you. And Reagan."

"Is that a problem?" he asked, taking a step toward her.

"Definitely not. I just wanted you to know that." She found it difficult to make words as his hands reached up to gently cup her face.

"That's good. Because I think – and I can only speak for myself here – that we feel the same way about you."

"Fantastic," Bella breathed.

"Yep," Edward said softly. His breath washed over her face, warm and scented with wine. She was lightheaded, drunk on him as she leaned into him and he slowly dipped his head to hers.

She rested her hands on his hips and stood on her toes to close the distance. Their lips met gently, maybe even shyly. The kiss was reserved, but still filled with the promise and hope of things to come. Edward pulled his hands away from her face and smiled, but Bella buried her face in his shirt, trying to memorize his scent. His arms were warm around her, reveling in the feel of her body against him.

After a moment, she looked up at him, smiled and kissed him once more.

"Thank you for tonight," she whispered.

"You're welcome for tonight," he whispered back, his lips close to hers.

"I'll call you."

"I sure hope that's not a line." Edward frowned down at her. Bella laughed and opened the door.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" she called as the door closed behind her.

Edward sighed and leaned his head against the door, not bothering to stop the stupid smile that seemed to have been super-glued to his face.


	4. Breaking and Entering

**Good morning! **

**Stephenie owns them. **

**Oscar519 and laurnorder say sweet things and make sure this doesn't suck too much. ;) **

**Thank you all so much for reading! See you next Wednesday!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4 – Breaking and Entering<p>

The week after dinner with Bella was absolutely hellacious for Edward. His alarm hadn't gone off on Monday, which made Reagan late for school and himself late for work. On Wednesday, he had to leave in the middle of the night to pick Reagan up from Rosalie's because she had a nightmare and refused to go back to sleep. On Thursday, his computer crashed.

By Friday, Edward was ready to throw in the towel. To top it all off – he hadn't heard from Bella at all. Granted, his week had been so busy that he hadn't tried to call her either, but still. She did say she would call. _It was the twenty first century_, Edward thought. If a girl wanted to be the one to call then she should go right ahead. Also, it had been a very long time since Edward had to think about calling a girl. He was nervous.

He had made up his mind to call Bella Friday after work. That way, if she wanted to get together over the weekend, there would be plenty of time to prepare. It was getting close to lunchtime and he was just putting the finishing touches on some data he'd recovered from his computer when there was a knock on his office door.

Edward didn't look up from his computer.

"Unless you come bearing whiskey, I don't need the distraction," he said as his fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard.

"How about some coffee and a cute kid?" Edward's head snapped up at the voice. At _Bella's_ voice. She smiled warmly, held up a cup of coffee and gestured to the little girl beside her. Edward beckoned both of them forward.

"Fancy meeting you here." He smiled and gratefully took the coffee from her while little Sophie climbed into his lap.

"Alice brought Jasper lunch. She mentioned that you'd had a rough week." Bella smiled and leaned against the desk. Sophie looked up at Edward with pleading blue eyes and he nodded. Bella watched in amusement when the little girl opened the top drawer of the desk and pulled out a bag of Gummy Bears.

"Ah, my rough week has gotten around, huh?"

"I was hoping it was something like this that kept you from calling me," Bella said softly.

"How many?" Sophie's little voice interrupted them.

Edward smiled and held up five fingers. Sophie frowned, but carefully took out five pieces of gummy candy and set them up in a line on the desk.

"I promise you, there was nothing else keeping me from calling you. Well, besides my extreme nervousness," Edward admitted. Bella laughed quietly.

"You? Nervous?"

"It's been… a very long time since I've had to worry about… anything really."

"Oh. Well, I should have taken that into consideration," she replied with her eyes on the little girl in Edward's lap. Sophie was giggling to herself as she made the Gummy Bears dance across the desk before she popped them into her mouth.

"No, no. I should have been more of a man."

"It's the twenty-first century, Edward." Bella snorted.

"True. Very true," he said, not bothering to voice that he'd had the same idea earlier.

"More?" Sophie looked up at Edward and he nodded. Bella laughed.

"Do all the girls in your life have you wrapped around their finger?"

Edward grinned. "Pretty much."

"I'll have to remember that." She mused quietly.

"Do you _want_ to be one of my girls, Bella?" He asked, his smile turning smug.

"Oh, I don't know if I can compete with all these blonde beauties."

"Ah…" Edward fidgeted slightly and lifted Sophie until she was sitting on his desk. Bella watched his ears redden slightly and wondered briefly what had gotten him so… _oh._

"She's blonde isn't she?"

"Who?" Edward asked innocently.

"Your wife."

"Ex-wife. And yes."

"Great." Bella muttered. Edward opened his mouth to reply, but Sophie chose that moment to throw a handful of Gummy Bears at his head. She grinned widely and Bella dissolved into laughter, and then started to pull the candy out of Edward's hair.

"She has incredible aim, you should really be more careful." Jasper said from the doorway.

"Yeah, just like a woman. Always throwing gifts back in your face," Edward joked. A Gummy Bear hit him in the nose. "Hey!"

"Oops." Bella shrugged. Sophie clapped gleefully and Bella scooped her off the desk. "C'mon, let's not bother Edward anymore."

"Yes, he's got more sulking to do, I'm sure," Jasper threw in from the door. Edward glared at him, but his friend simply shrugged and slunk away to find his wife.

"I'm not sulking," Edward said as he walked Bella to his office door.

"I'm glad," she said with a smile.

"Can I see you? This weekend?"

"I'd like that. Tomorrow?"

"Perfect. As long as Reagan can manage a whole night at Rose's." He frowned. Bella touched his arm softly.

"If not, we'll figure it out then." Edward nodded and leaned down to kiss Sophie's cheek then Bella's.

"Thank you," he said against her skin. She shivered and smiled before leaving Edward's office with her stomach full of butterflies.

xXx

"Can I call you if I get sad?" Reagan asked softly. She touched the top button of Edward's shirt and he frowned.

"Reagan, it's just one night. Mommy misses you."

"Will you be okay?" she whispered. Edward smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be fine, I promise."

"And we can have French toast tomorrow?" Reagan asked with a big smile.

"We'll see."

"Okay. Bye, Daddy. I love you," she said as she skipped away and up the stairs. Rosalie smiled as Edward got to his feet.

"She loves you so much." Rosalie smoothed his shirt and Edward smiled again.

"Well, the feeling is mutual." He laughed. "I'll call you in the morning."

"We'll be here." Rosalie led Edward to the door. She kissed his cheek as he walked out and Edward gave her a polite smile. He remembered the days when her touch would send him into overdrive, when she could look at him and he knew exactly what she wanted. Edward was sometimes sad those days were over, sad that his wife had had fallen out of love with him. Not that he was still in love with her - because he wasn't. He loved her well enough, that was true. It was for Reagan though. Everything Edward did was for Reagan.

But tonight… tonight was most definitely not for his daughter.

Edward took the stairs to Bella's apartment two at a time, almost giddy at the thought of seeing her again. He fixed his white oxford and ran a hand through his hair before knocking on the door. Bella answered quickly, a smile crossing her face as she did.

"Hi," she whispered. He stepped to her and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. It scared her to think how happy she was to see him, how much she was looking forward to their night out.

"You look… beautiful." Edward told her. Bella gave him a wry grin and looked down at her jeans and simple black v-neck.

"C'mon, Casanova. Let's get this show on the road." She closed the door to her home and took his hand. He laughed, and let her lead him down the stairs and out of her building.

"Feel like walking?" Edward asked.

"Sure," Bella answered. She hooked her arm through his, pulling him closer as they walked. "Was Reagan okay tonight?"

"Yeah, yeah. She'll be fine. She knows Rose misses her, so she'll try harder." Edward explained with his gaze set on something ahead of him.

"I'm sure this hasn't been easy on her," Bella said with a frown.

"It hasn't, no. But she's doing better."

"How did you get custody? I mean, I think it's great but it's usually the mother who…"

"Rose relinquished full custody. About a month after we started the divorce, she decided that she… needed some time for herself."

"Oh," Bella whispered. She frowned and focused on her feet as they walked, not understanding how someone could just… let go of their child. Maybe she had a good reason for it. Maybe they'd just been too young when they had Reagan and got married. But then again, Edward wasn't running from his responsibility. From what Alice had told her, he rose to the challenge quite well.

"We should… change the subject." Edward laughed quietly.

"Okay," Bella said with a smile."Tell me something that _isn't_ about Reagan."

"Oh, c'mon!"

"No, Edward! You have to try." She laughed.

"It's going to be really difficult. I mean, I don't know much else. Unless you want to talk about accounting..."

"Huh, maybe I should just stick with the kid."

"She's pretty amazing. I could talk about her all day," Edward said softly. Bella rested her hand over Edward's and gazed up at him. The reverent look on his face made her heart warm.

"Fiiine," she said with a laugh. "Tell me about her."

Edward grinned and slipped his arm around Bella's shoulders, pulling her closer against him and kissing her head.

"Well, for starters, she's fascinated by you."

"Oh, that's nice to hear." Bella couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"Well, you and the penguins," Edward corrected himself.

"Of course, it's always about the birds," Bella sighed.

Edward laughed. "They're extremely cool, even I'll admit that."

Bella stopped walking and looked up at Edward with a wide smile. She really did love her job, and the fact that Edward thought it was interesting and not pathetic made her happy. They found a little restaurant down from Bella's building where they had dinner and talked for hours though it only seemed like a few minutes to them.

"Where did you grow up?" Edward asked after they'd ordered dinner.

"Forks," Bella answered. "My dad is the Chief of Police there," she added with a proud smile.

"Nice. What is there like, one stoplight in Forks?"

"Two actually." Bella sniffed indignantly. Edward smiled at her over his glass. "And aren't you from Sequim? It's basically the same there."

"Oh, I know. I just like teasing you." he shrugged and she narrowed her eyes at him good-naturedly. In truth, Bella liked his teasing, too. A lot.

"I know you do." she sipped her wine and thought about what else she wanted to know. "Did you play sports or anything in high school?"

Edward snorted into his beer. "Bella. I'm an accountant. I don't do sports."

"Well, I don't know! You're so… fit," she explained and then blushed spectacularly. It was true though, he was very fit. And she noticed.

"Have you been checking me out?" Edward raised an eyebrow at her and Bella smiled.

"Of course I have," she answered.

"Jasper makes me go to the gym with him," he explained with a sigh. "It's kind of embarrassing. I'm really clumsy, so I just stick to the treadmill."

Bella couldn't help but laugh at the notion that Edward was clumsy. She had yet to see it so she would wait to make a final decision.

"So, does your dad have any deputies or does he patrol the town by himself?" Edward asked.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you? I bet your parents were doctors or lawyers, weren't they?" Bella shook her head but smiled.

"Both, actually." Edward grinned. "Well, Dad was a doctor. Mom was the lawyer."

"Of course," Bella replied. "Do you see them a lot?"

"Enough, yeah. They love Rae. It's hard because they're far away, but we try to get together at least once a month," Edward explained. "Do you have any other family?"

"Not really. Just me and my dad. He has some close friends in Forks, but that's about it," she told him. Edward nodded because he knew what she meant. He felt like he had that with Reagan and his friends. That whole "it takes a village" thing was kind of hard to do when family was so far away.

"My Dad's great, though. Everyone loves him." Bella's smile had grown to a full-blown grin while talking about her father. Something that Edward found contagious.

"It's too bad you didn't get any of his personable traits," Edward teased.

"You know, I think you hang out with Jasper too much." Bella wrinkled her nose and tossed her napkin down on the table. Edward laughed heartily and ordered two more drinks for them.

They continued to talk, each story leading into another until their plates and glasses were empty and Edward was smiling more than he had in a long time.

Being with Bella made Edward feel lighter than he had in years - since before his daughter had been born.

Everything after Reagan's birth had been overshadowed by work, bills, and a marriage that fell apart.

Edward sighed and pushed the thoughts out of his head, then focused on the beautiful woman beside him.

"How do you feel about riding the bus?" Edward wrinkled his nose but Bella rolled her eyes and dragged him to the nearest bus stop.

"Public transportation?" He pretended to shudder once they were situated on the bus. Bella poked him softly and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. She went quite willingly, tucking her head under his chin and resting her hands on his chest. "Where are you taking me?" Edward whispered, making Bella's blood warm.

"It's a surprise, silly," she teased. He frowned, but leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. Edward pulled away too soon for Bella's liking, a smile playing on his mouth. Bella put on a pout, but leaned into him for the remainder of the bus ride. When the bus stopped, she tugged his hand and pulled him off with her.

"Now will you tell me?" Edward asked before taking Bella's hand in his. She smiled and looked ahead. He followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow at her. "You brought me to the zoo?"

"Of course," she said pulling him into a dark alley and walking faster than before.

"Are you planning to murder me and feed me to the lions?" Edward asked nervously. Bella laughed, the sound of it echoing through the darkness. He smiled and followed her without a second thought. When they finally reached a large building, Bella thrust her bag into Edward's hands and dug through it. She pulled out a set of keys, smiled up at him, then turned around and opened the door.

"Stay here," she commanded when the door opened. He obliged and waited. She emerged a moment later and held out her hand. Edward took it and let her pull him into the building. She led him down a dark hallway and then into a small office.

"Where the hell are we?" He set her bag down on the counter and looked around.

"My office," she said as she sat down and spun around in her desk chair. He stopped her, his hands on the arms of the chair and leaned down to kiss her – the kiss on the bus not nearly enough to satisfy him. She wound her hands in his hair and pulled him closer, trying to deepen the kiss until she started to roll away. Edward stumbled and laughed against her lips, her body warmed at the feeling of it.

"C'mon on," Bella said as she stood up gestured to the open door. She led him through another corridor and to what looked like a large freezer door.

"Christ, you are going to kill me, aren't you?"

Bella laughed loudly. "You're much too handsome to kill." She leaned up to kiss his cheek and then opened the door.

"Yeah, you think that now," Edward grumbled.

"I just wanted you to meet some uh… people that are important to me," she said as she opened the door. Edward smiled at the sight in front of them. The birds were sleeping, huddled together in the warm climate. "They're obviously sleeping right now, so we can't play with them or anything."

"You play with them?" Edward smirked. Bella shrugged and looked out at the habitat she helped design and build.

"They're like… little people."

"Bella…" Edward's voice was quiet in her ear and his arm wrapped around her waist from behind.

"Yes?" She breathed, not daring to look at him.

"You really need to get out more," he whispered. Bella gave him a gentle shove with her elbow, while Edward laughed.

"You're a jerk," Bella said as she stalked out of the habitat. Edward laughed again and followed her out. She waited until he exited and closed the door securely behind him.

"I'm kidding," he said and pulled her to him. Bella pretended to struggle, but stopped when his lips met the skin under her ear. She leaned into him, running her fingers through his hair and pulling his mouth to hers. He kissed her feverishly, his arms tight around her, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.

Bella pulled away slowly, breathless, and rested her forehead against his chin. She felt giddy and nervous at the same time. It had been so long since anyone made her _feel_.

"We should go before you get me into trouble," Bella told him, reaching for his hand. He grinned down at her hoping that she meant a very different kind of trouble than normal.

"Where are you taking me now?" Edward laughed, as Bella pulled him down the street. It was late, the night-clubbers and partiers milling about, scantily clad and drunk already.

"Some place." Bella shrugged.

"Some place like… a river to drown me in or a landfill to dump my body?"

Bella laughed and stopped walking, then threw herself into Edward's arms, her limbs wrapped securely around his body. He grinned and kissed her, there in the middle of the sidewalk, as people passed them by.

"Silly boy, if I kill you I won't have you around to kiss anymore," she said as she slipped down and took his hand again.

"I like how you think." Edward laughed and followed her a little ways down the street until they reached a small diner.

"They have the best apple pie in the entire world," Bella said, as they took a seat in one of the ratty booths by the window. They ordered coffee and pie, and played footsies under the table until their order came.

"I tried to make apple pie for this Thanksgiving thing Reagan had at school, it was awful. She ended up bringing the whole thing home. She was so embarrassed," Edward mused quietly.

"I'm sure she got over it." Bella frowned.

"Well, yeah. But not until after I let her have a sleepover with three other girls and they all thought she was 'cool' again," he said making little air quotes with the word _cool_. "Seven year olds, I can't even tell you..."

Bella tried not to laugh at his frustration. Truth was: she had no idea what it was like. She didn't know anyone besides Alice and Jasper who had kids, so she learned something new every minute she spent with Edward.

And she really, really liked it.

"So it's basically like _Mean Girls _for elementary kids?"

"_Mean Girls_?" he asked, confused.

"It's a movie Edward," Bella said with a laugh. "I'll show it to you one day."

"Will I like it?"

"Probably not." She snorted. "It's a silly movie. A lot of the truth though," she explained.

"Hmm." Edward hummed and took a bite of the pie that the waitress had set in front of him. Bella watched the way he slipped the fork into his mouth and couldn't help but envy the little piece of metal. He sliced off another piece of the pie and held it out to her. She almost laughed at the thought of him feeding her pie in the crummy little diner. Almost – except the pie was delicious and so was the man feeding it to her.

They finished the pie and left the restaurant hand in hand, making their way back to Bella's apartment in hardly any time at all.

"Do you want to come inside?" Bella asked, looking up at Edward with hopeful eyes. He gazed down at her, a small smile on his face.

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Bella," he replied as he wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger.

"No?" She asked quietly. "Not even for a minute?" Bella stood on her toes and placed a kiss just under Edward's ear. Her hands were spread on his chest and she could feel his heart beating beneath her palm.

Edward gave a soft sigh and wrapped his arm around her waist. She pulled away and grinned up at him.

"Fine," he said as he leaned down and kissed her quickly. Bella's smile grew as she unlocked the door and led him into her apartment. She showed him around quickly and then pushed him on the couch, ordering him to relax while she turned on music and grab drinks for them.

When she returned, Edward was leaning back against the suede sofa; his eyes closed his mouth moving with the lyrics of the song. He smiled when he saw her and gratefully accepted the cold beer she handed him. She settled on the couch next to him, her feet tucked under her and her knees resting on his thigh. They sat in silence for a moment before Edward laughed softly, covering his hand with his face and then leaning up with his elbows on his knees.

"What's funny?" Bella asked, confused.

"This. Me. Ah, God. I have no idea how to do this," he said sadly. Bella frowned and touched his face softly.

"You're doing okay by me," she whispered.

"I just… I was with Rose for over ten years. We were just kids. Everything is so new to me and I don't know what's too fast or -"

Edward's words were cut off by Bella's lips against his. She kissed him quickly, just enough to get him to stop talking.

"Edward, technically this is only our first date. I didn't bring you up here to get you naked or anything," Bella said with a smile. "I just didn't want the night to end yet."

"Me either," he said softly before he leaned over and kissed her again. Bella ran her fingers through the short hair on the back of his neck, then pulled away and rested her head on Edward's shoulder. She took his free hand and laced their fingers together, hoping he knew that she wasn't going to ask for anything more than what he could give.

Even though she also hoped that what he could give would be everything.

"Stop feeling sorry for me," he whispered with a soft chuckle.

"I'm not," she whispered back.

"Tell me what you're thinking then," Edward said as he pulled away. He shifted until his knees were touching hers and set their drinks down so he could take both of her hands in his.

"That I really… enjoy your company," Bella stated lamely and then wished she could crawl into a hole. That was the most un-romantic thing she could have possibly said.

Edward frowned. "Are you giving me the brush off? Already?"

"What? No! I'm sorry! I say the dumbest things sometimes, I swear…" Bella bowed her head and heard Edward laugh. He tipped her chin up and looked down at her with earnest eyes.

"I enjoy your company too, Bella."

"Clearly we both need to work on the romantic-talk," she said with a weak smile.

"Fine. How about… you're beautiful and intelligent and I think about you all the time? Does that work?"

"Yeah." She nodded and swallowed, trying to rid her head of the ringing that had suddenly started. "That works… just fine."

"Now, say something nice about me." He grinned and rested back against the couch again, completely at ease.

"You're kind of an ass."

Edward laughed loudly and took a long pull from his beer before pouncing on her.

"You'll pay for that one," he said as his fingers dug into her ribcage. Bella squealed and tried to push him away. He kissed her cheek and tickled her until she couldn't breathe. Then, when he thought she'd had enough, he buried his face in her neck. With his lips on her skin and his hands on her body, Bella decided that she would most certainly _never_ get enough of Edward Cullen.


	5. Fairtytales and Favorites

**SM owns these people. **

**Sorry for the late update! I'm a new auntie so I had to get in some baby snuggles tonight! :) **

**Thank you so much for reading/reviewing/reccing, I'm so amazed my all of you! See you next week!**

***EDIT - Um, so I posted this without thanking oscar519 and laurnorder. I'm a jerk. **

* * *

><p>Chapter 5 – Fairytales and Favorites<p>

Edward reluctantly dragged himself out of bed the next morning with Bella still on his mind. He'd left her apartment sometime after three in the morning. They'd spent the rest of the time talking about little things: favorite movies and books, television shows and restaurants.

Bella was tight-lipped about her past relationships, knowing that maybe one day they'd need to talk about things like that, but it didn't have to be soon. She knew that Edward was reluctant to talk about his marriage and Bella tried very hard to understand how he felt, why he wasn't ready to share certain things with her just yet.

It wasn't like Edward had anything to hide from Bella, because he didn't. There were simply some things he just wasn't ready to talk about. He didn't want to do or say anything that would scare Bella away.

He showered and dressed quickly, knowing the wrath he would be facing if he didn't get himself in gear. Edward would have to remember not to promise his daughter early morning things if he was going to be having late nights. He'd have to find a balance between the two.

"You're late." Reagan's frown was visible from the driveway as Edward drove up to Rosalie's home.

"Sorry, baby girl," Edward said as he bent down to kiss her. She turned away from him and stomped up the front steps. Reagan slammed the front door behind her and Edward sighed. He reluctantly followed his daughter inside to gather her things and take her home.

"You're on the list, huh?" Rosalie offered him a sad smile when he entered the kitchen. She made him a cup of coffee and he gave a hollow laugh.

"I guess it's about time I made it there, huh?"

"She'll get over it." Rosalie gave him a soft pat on the shoulder and he smiled.

"I hope so," Edward replied and sipped his coffee. It was exactly the way he liked it. The way he drank it every day of their marriage. The thought of their crumbled marriage put a knot in Edward's stomach and he silently willed his daughter to come downstairs.

"How was last night?" Edward asked, desperate to clear the awkward air.

"It was fine," she said with a shrug. "No fits or anything. It was kind of… nice. Maybe she's growing out of it."

Edward laughed again and shook his head. "You should have seen the glare she gave me when I pulled up!"

"Well, you promised me we would have French toast and you were late!" Reagan entered the kitchen with stomping feet, her backpack on her shoulders and clutching a pink stuffed cat.

"What if I had a really good excuse?" Edward asked from the stool he sat on.

"Do you?" Reagan tapped her foot impatiently. Edward sighed and slipped from the stool. He fell to his knees and Rosalie stifled a laugh as he walked on them to his daughter. He took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles softly. Her glare softened and Edward tried not to smile.

"No, I don't. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I don't know, Daddy. I really wanted French toast," Reagan said matter-of-factly. Edward hung his head. "But maybe… maybe I really want ice cream instead."

"For breakfast?" Edward raised an eyebrow.

Reagan shrugged. "Maybe."

"Hmm. We'll have to see about that," Edward said with a frown.

"Bye, Mommy. I love you!" Reagan called as she pulled Edward out of the kitchen. He gladly went, thinking that he really needed to learn to say 'no'.

xXx

"Did you want to work with penguins when you were a little girl, Bella?" Reagan held Bella's hand tightly in her own as they strolled through the park. Edward followed a few paces behind them, eager to watch Bella's interaction with his daughter.

"Well, I wanted to be a lot of things when I was a little girl. I changed my mind _a lot_," Bella explained. Reagan nodded solemnly.

"I know what you mean. Sometimes I want to be a princess, but then I think I might want to be an astronaut," she explained. Bella smiled and cast a glance over her shoulder at Edward. "Daddy says I can be anything I want. Mommy wants me to be a lawyer." She frowned and looked up at Bella.

"My daddy wanted me to be a lawyer, too. But I'm sure your mommy would be happy with whatever you choose," Bella told her. Edward was impressed at the logicality of Bella's explanation.

"Daddy, Bella's really smart," Reagan said with a smile at her father. Bella laughed while Edward stepped up behind Reagan and lifted her onto his shoulders.

"I think so, too," he said with a wink in Bella's direction. She laughed and linked her arm through Edward's while they continued to walk under the shade of tall trees.

It had been a quiet, relaxing day. They'd had brunch (Edward managed to talk Reagan out of ice cream for breakfast), went to an early movie, and ended up in the park afterward.

"Is this a good spot?" Bella asked once they'd stopped under a big oak tree. Edward shrugged and watched her pull a blanket from the bag she'd packed. She and Reagan spread it out, climbed onto it, and then looked expectantly at Edward. He smiled and joined them, all three of them laying on their backs and looking up at the sky.

"Daddy? Can you tell us a story?" Reagan took her father's hand between both of hers and gave him a sweet smile.

"What kind of story?" he frowned over at her, not sure if he could handle being put on the spot. It was fine when it was just the two of them, but his goofy stories weren't something he was ready for Bella to hear just yet.

"One with a happy ending?" Reagan asked. Bella laughed softly from Reagan's other side and propped herself up on her elbow so she could see Edward.

"With a princess, too," she chimed in. Edward rolled his eyes but smiled.

"Once upon a time…"

Reagan clapped her hands excitedly and sat up to listen. Bella watched her, overwhelmed by the sight of them together. She had the sudden urge to call her own father and tell him how much she loved him, how much he meant to her.

_Later_, she thought.

For the moment, Bella let herself get wrapped up in the scene in front of her. She tried to calm her mind and her heart and all of the feelings that were running through both of them. She'd only known Edward for a couple of weeks, but the smile he put on her face seemed like it was permanent.

It frightened her a little bit because she had really never met anyone like him, and had never been welcomed into someone's life like Edward had welcomed her. She just hoped that nothing bad would happen. Even though they had only been on a couple of dates, maybe they would last.

Bella couldn't help but think she was already a little too attached.

"And then a terrible dragon appeared before the brave prince…" Edward's story broke Bella from her reverie and she caught his eye. He smiled and continued his fairytale, a knowing look on his face.

He hoped she wasn't going to freak out and run. Bella tried to smile reassuring but she wasn't sure how convincing it was. She settled for busying herself with unpacking snacks from her bag instead of trying to convince him. After all, simply being there with him should have been proof enough.

When Edward finished his story, the three of them ate and hung out at the park a little while longer.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so relaxed, so happy. Watching his daughter and Bella, someone that he was coming to care about, definitely put a smile on his face. Edward didn't even worry about the fact that they had only known each other a couple of weeks.

Bella loved watching Edward with Reagan, too. He was kind and attentive with just the right mixture of a disciplinary father that the little girl needed. Edward reminded Bella of her own father, a fact that terrified her immensely for reasons she couldn't quite comprehend. The love between them was beautiful and Bella felt lucky to get to see it.

xXx

Later that day, after Bella had bid goodbye to Reagan and Edward (and Edward some more at his front door), Bella settled into Alice's plush couch with a glass of wine.

"Okay, gimme the dirt, what's the scoop, spill the beans… you know, all that stuff," Alice said with a wide grin as she joined Bella at the other end of the sofa. She adjusted the baby monitor on the coffee table and looked at her friend expectantly.

Bella laughed softly and sipped her wine. "He's amazing, really."

"And?" Alice probed

"Well, you know him! He's all those things that you said he was before we met only… more. If that's possible," Bella said with a soft sigh.

"Isn't he great with Reagan? Their relationship is so beautiful." Alice watched her friend's eyes light up at the mention of the little girl.

"It really is," Bella agreed. "What's the story with the wife, Rose? Were you all friends?"

"Yeah," Alice said sadly. "We were all really close, actually."

"What happened?"

"I don't know." Alice shrugged. "Edward and Jasper worked the same amount of hours but I guess Rose thought it was too much and she went looking… elsewhere."

"What do you mean _elsewhere_?" Bella asked, confused.

"I mean, Rose worked just as much as Edward did; only Rose met a lot of people through her firm. And sometimes when one meets a lot of people, those new people might strike your fancy and– "

"I got it," Bella interrupted her friend's rant and tried not to laugh at her. Truth was: she was dumbfounded. From what she'd seen of Edward, well, he seemed perfect. Maybe it was just the proverbial 'rose-colored glasses' but Bella couldn't help but think it wasn't.

"Anyways, that's what happened. Rose and I fell out of touch after that. I think she knew how I felt about the whole _cheating_ thing. Then Edward got custody of Rae and… that's all she wrote."

"He's great though, really. I'm glad you set us up," Bella said with a smile. Alice clapped excitedly and Bella tried not to roll her eyes. Sometimes her friend was a little _too_ excitable.

But secretly, on the inside, Bella was clapping ridiculously too.

xXx

"Bella? Are chocolate chip cookies your favorite kind of cookie?" Reagan asked as she scooped chocolate chips into the mixing bowl in front of her.

"Well, I really like peanut butter cookies, but I used to make chocolate chip ones for my dad all the time when I was a little girl," Bella explained, taking the bag of chips from her to ensure that Reagan didn't try to dump the whole bag in.

"Oh! My daddy likes peanut butter cookies too! Maybe we can make those next!" Reagan said excitedly. Bella smiled and nodded, happy that Reagan was still excited to be spending time with her.

"Thanks again for doing this," Edward said as he breezed into the kitchen trying to tie his tie. He had been called in to an emergency meeting at work and had to cancel his and Bella's day date. They hadn't seen much of each other in the week following their day at the park, and today was supposed to make up for it. It was supposed to be Rosalie's day to have Reagan, but she had been called off on an out-of-town meeting for a client so Edward had Reagan all weekend. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Rae and I are going to have a great time, right?" Bella stepped away from the bowl and tied Edward's tie for him. She looked back at Reagan, who smiled brightly and nodded.

"I'll be back soon. We'll go out for dinner," he said quietly before kissing Bella.

"Okay," Bella smiled.

"Be good, Monkeyface," Edward said to Reagan. She frowned, but puckered her lips for a kiss anyways. Edward laughed and kissed his daughter, then left the two of them alone for the day.

"What shall we do today?" Bella turned back to Reagan, who was spooning cookie dough from the bowl and eating it. She laughed and took the spoon away. "How about we bake these before you eat all the dough?"

Reagan sighed. "I guess so. But can we play a game while they bake?"

"What did you have in mind?" Bella asked while she scooped out little balls of dough.

"Well, Daddy's been trying to teach me to play checkers. It's kind of hard though," Reagan explained.

"Well, I bet I could help you with that," Bella told her. Reagan watched as Bella finished scooping out cookies and placed the baking trays in the oven. "C'mon, let's play some checkers."

Reagan jumped down from her little stool and ran into the living room. Bella had hardly made it out of the kitchen before Reagan had all of the pieces spread out over the coffee table.

"I'll be red and you be black," Reagan said as she began to set up the pieces. Bella agreed and situated herself on the floor across from Reagan.

"Sounds good to me," Bella said with a smile.

"Okay, so I go first and you'll go after me. Daddy taught me the different ways you can move. He still always beats me though." Reagan frowned and moved her little red piece. Bella bit back a laugh and slid her black checker up, determined to let Reagan win just once.

"I'm not very good, I hope you don't beat me," Bella told her. Reagan rested her chin on the table and smiled.

"Bella? Do you like my daddy?"

"I do."

"Do you like him a lot?" Reagan asked as she jumped Bella's checker.

"Well, I'd like to get to know him a little bit more. And you," Bella explained.

"I think we'd like to get to know you more too." Reagan rested her chin in her hands

"What would you like to know?"

"Do you have a favorite color?"

"I really like green, what about you?"

"Yellow," Reagan answered.

"Favorite food?"

"Daddy's pizza. Hey! I'm asking the questions around here! Oh, king me!" she laughed gleefully and Bella laughed with her.

"What's your favorite thing about your dad?"

"He makes really good French toast. And he reads me stories. And sings me songs. And… well I just like everything about him." Reagan shrugged.

_Me too_, Bella thought.

"I think the cookies are done," Bella said with a small smile. Reagan grinned and ran into the kitchen ahead of her.

When the first batch had cooled and the next ones were in the oven, Bella let Reagan pull out her arsenal of coloring books and crayons. They spread them all over the living room floor and colored until the cookies were done.

After they snacked on cookies, cleaned the kitchen, and watched a movie, Bella let Reagan play dress-up and then challenged her to a game of hide-and-seek.

As the sun went down, Bella realized that Edward was running later than he originally thought. She decided to go ahead and make dinner instead of waiting for him to get home.

It was a big deal to her, making dinner for Edward's daughter in his own home. She couldn't bring herself to call him her 'boyfriend'. Bella wasn't even sure he would want that. They had only been out a couple of times, after all.

Bella tried not to think about it that way though. It was very early in their relationship, but she could still see herself with Edward down the road. She only hoped he'd feel the same.

xXx

It was after eight o'clock by the time Edward got home from his emergency meeting. In truth, he had no idea what the meeting was even about. His mind was at home, thinking about Bella and his daughter. He'd felt bad for leaving them alone, but Bella seemed okay with it and Reagan loved her so it was win-win. He noticed from the street that the lights were off in his apartment and sighed heavily. Edward opened the door quietly and crept inside, the only light coming from the television in the living room.

He smiled as he rounded the couch. Bella was lying against the side of the couch with Reagan's head rested in her lap. Both of them were fast asleep. Edward carefully lifted Reagan from the couch. Though, despite his efforts, he still woke Bella up.

"Hey," she whispered thickly.

"I'll be right back," he said softly as he carried his daughter to her bedroom. He laid her in bed and covered her up before joining Bella back in the living room. She was sitting in the corner of the couch covered up with an old blanket.

"How was your meeting?" Bella asked once he joined her. Edward loosened his tie and sighed.

"Boring," he replied leaning his head back against the couch. "How was your day?"

"Great." Bella grinned. She reached over and ran her fingers through the Edward's hair. "We had a lot of fun."

"I'm glad. I'm sorry, again. I'll make it up to you," Edward told her.

"No, Edward. It was fine, really. I enjoyed it," Bella reassured him. Edward smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Thank you," he said softly.

"You're welcome," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder and snuggling closer to him.

"I missed you today." Edward's voice was soft, his breath ruffling Bella's hair. She smiled and wrapped an arm around his neck.

"Me too." Bella couldn't help but think maybe they did want _exactly_ the same thing.


	6. A Few Truths

**Stephenie owns. **

**Oscar19 and laurnorder beta. **

**If there are mistakes, they are all mine. **

**If you're in a part of the country or world that's going through a rough time then I'm hugging you tight. *hug* **

**Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and reccing. You're all so lovely. **

* * *

><p>Chapter 6 – A Few Truths<p>

"So, things are going well for you and Bella?" Jasper asked one Monday afternoon. Edward watched as he shoved his second order of French fries in his mouth. The guy was like a human garbage disposal.

"Sure, they're okay, I guess." Edward shrugged and picked at his sandwich, not sure if he was actually ready to have a conversation about his relationship with Bella with Jasper. He wasn't even really sure he was in a relationship.

He and Bella had been out a few more times after their day at the park, but he was intent on taking things slowly. Of course, after their last date and the intense make-out session that followed Edward was beginning to rethink "slowly".

"Alice seems to think she really likes you," Jasper said while reaching for Edward's fries.

"What is wrong with you?" Edward asked as he slapped his friend's hand away.

"I'm sorry! The doctor said my cholesterol is up and Alice but me on this stupid diet. I'm hungry _all the time_!"

"Will you stop!" Edward laughed and pulled his plate from Jasper's grip. "I'll tell Alice if you don't."

"She scares me, Edward. Look at me," he said as he gestured to his lanky frame. "I'm wasting away!"

"I think you'll survive," Edward replied. He stood up and tossed some bills on the table in front of them. "C'mon, I've got a ton of work to do and Reagan has dance tonight so I can't work late."

"I don't see how you even have time to date Bella when that girl's got you wrapped around her finger," Jasper muttered. Edward laughed loudly and politely bit his tongue. Even though reminding his friend that he didn't have one, but _three_ people that kept him on his toes would have made him smile.

"I manage," Edward retorted. He managed to ignore Jasper for the rest of the day, a feat that was unnaturally hard to do. Sometimes Edward wondered how Jasper got any work done whatsoever.

Edward hurried to pick up Reagan from her after-school program and then to the studio where she practiced dance. She changed quickly in the bathroom and he stifled a laugh when he noticed her leotard was on backwards.

"Oops!" she giggled before running back in the bathroom. He smiled and leaned against the wall beside the bathroom

"Hello, Edward," he heard from down the hall. _Shit,_ he thought. Tonight was really not the night to be accosted at his daughter's dance studio. By her dance teacher, no less.

"Hey, Jess… sorry we're late. Reagan had a wardrobe malfunction." He gave her a polite smile and gestured to the bathroom.

"I'm ready, Daddy," Reagan announced herself as she came out of the bathroom and Edward sighed with relief.

"Have fun, baby. I'll be right here," he said as he leaned down to kiss her head. "Bye, Jess."

Jessica gave him a smile and led Reagan into a large mirrored room. Edward found a spot where he would be able to watch and took out his phone, sending a quick text to Bella to let her know where he was.

It occurred to Edward once he'd hit send that maybe Bella didn't want to know where he was. Maybe she was out with someone else, or working or – maybe he should just stop thinking so much.

He couldn't help it though, his brain was analytic. All he did was _think_.

And lately, all he did was _think_ about Bella.

Edward tried to keep the stupid grin off his face when Bella responded.

_Leaving work soon. Dinner at your place? I'll pick up Chinese._

Edward thought for a moment before typing out his response. He was too giddy over the fact that Bella had just invited herself over to have dinner with him and his daughter. It wasn't like Edward had planned his dating career in the midst of his divorce, but finding someone who got along with his daughter was his number one priority in any relationship.

Edward ignored the sinking feeling in his stomach as he sent his response. Then he pocketed his phone and focused on his little girl dancing and twirling, having the time of her life.

"Are we going to have dinner?" Reagan asked while Edward helped her out of the car.

"Don't we have dinner every night?" Edward asked. Reagan giggled.

"Yes. But _what_ are we having for dinner?" She took her father's hand and smiled up at him.

"Oh, I think it will be a surprise," Edward teased her.

"Yuck. I hope it's not like Emmett's surprise dinner." Reagan made a face and pushed the button to call the elevator. "He's not a very good cook."

Edward tried not to smile at that thought but knowing that he did something better than Rosalie's new boyfriend made him feel a bit smug. Even if it was only cooking. He didn't have much time to think about it because soon the elevator doors were opened and Reagan had abandoned her backpack and dance bag. Edward didn't need to ask why.

"Bella's here!" she cried as she bolted from the elevator. Edward laughed and picked up her bags. Reagan was already in Bella's arms and he couldn't help the warm feeling that spread through his chest at the sight of them.

"You give good surprises, Daddy." His daughter smiled up at him.

"I thought you might like it," he said and then leaned over to kiss Bella on the cheek. Once inside Edward ordered his daughter to put her things away and change so they could have dinner.

Bella unloaded the food she'd brought and named off everything, but Edward didn't listen. He was too busy dropping little kisses on her shoulder and burying his face in her sweet-smelling hair.

"Edward," Bella half-laughed, half-scolded him. "We'll starve if you keep doing that." She tried to push him away but he wrapped his arms tight around her and pulled her against him. Bella carefully set down the container and turned to Edward, tangling her fingers in his hair and pulling his face down to hers.

He kissed her gently, given their awkward position, until she turned and pressed herself against him and pulled him even closer. She kissed him until her fingers were lost in his hair and his arms were tight around her. Until they were interrupted by a very delicate throat clearing.

"Can we have dinner now?" Reagan grinned up at them and they broke apart quickly.

"Sure, sweetie," Bella said as she situated herself. "Why don't you go set the table, okay?" Reagan took the plates and silverware from Bella and did as she asked while Edward watched with furrowed brows.

"Your face will stick like that if you're not careful," she said as she smoothed down the wrinkles in his forehead with her finger.

"She just… does stuff for you. I don't get it," Edward grumbled and grabbed a container of food.

"It's just because I'm not her parent, Edward. And she listens to you plenty," Bella replied with a soft squeeze of his bicep.

Edward frowned but didn't argue. Lately it was more likely that hell would freeze over than his daughter would follow a direction given to her.

Reagan held most of the conversation at dinner, telling Bella about her day at school and the funny story from dance class. Edward shook his head at his daughter's silliness and once again enjoyed the feeling he got watching the two of them together. When they were finished eating Bella cleared their plates and kissed Reagan's head on the way to the kitchen.

"Daddy, can we watch a movie?"

"Anything but _The Little Mermaid_," Edward sighed. Reagan made a face but Edward gave her his most coveted "dad look". She recovered quickly before skipping out of the dining room.

"What was that about?" Bella asked as she started to wipe down the table. Edward shrugged.

"Stop that," Edward said as he pulled her into his lap, ultimately ending her cleaning. He kissed her neck and she squirmed against him.

"We're going to get caught again!" Bella cried with a laugh.

"So? She's seven; you shouldn't be scared of a – shit! She's coming; I can hear those little shuffling slippers."

Bella laughed again and slipped off of Edward's legs. She wiped down the table and Edward pulled his sneaky little girl into his arms.

"Did you pick a movie?"

"Uh huh." Reagan nodded and wrapped her hand up in Edward's tie. A huge feat considering it was still tied around his neck.

"Something I'll like, right?" he asked.

"Sure, Daddy," she replied absentmindedly. Bella snorted from the living room.

"Why am I not convinced?" He looked down at his daughter who shrugged innocently. Bella ran her fingers through Edward's hair and kissed his cheek before holding her hand out to Reagan.

"You like sports, right, Daddy?" Reagan asked as the three of them snuggled onto the couch together.

"Yeah…" Edward cast a wary glance over his daughter's head. Bella just looked ahead, a small smile on her face.

"Push play, please," Reagan said sweetly. Bella did and Edward groaned almost instantly.

"Really?" he whispered loudly and Bella stifled a laugh as the opening credits to _High School Musical_ began.

Reagan was, of course, mesmerized by the movie. Luckily for Edward she was also very sleepy. Forty-five minutes into the movie she was snoring softly against his arm.

"Victory," Edward whispered as he lifted her carefully and carried her to bed. He tucked her in and returned to the living room to find that Bella had turned off the movie and turned on the radio. She smiled and handed him a beer, then moved closer as he sat down.

"Long day?" Bella asked while her fingers worked to undo Edward's tie. He shrugged and sipped his beer.

"Still trying to catch up on some work. It's just tough when I can't work late certain nights," he explained. Bella frowned and rested her head against the back of the couch. "How about you?"

"Not too bad. It's uh… mating season. So we'll be getting babies soon," she said with a soft smile. Edward returned it and reached out to brush her hair from her face. Her enthusiasm about her job amazed him. He could listen to her talk about birds for hours, it was ridiculous.

Edward listened while she talked about hand-raising the babies and how she was looking forward to training a new intern. In the middle of a story about how a child tried to climb into the seal tank Edward let out a loud and unexpected yawn.

"I know I'm not that interesting, but c'mon!" Bella shoved him playfully.

"I'm sorry," he laughed quietly and pulled Bella against him. "I guess the day was longer than I thought."

"It's fine, Edward," Bella said with a soft kiss to the side of his mouth. "I should be going anyways." She moved to stand up but he held her tightly. "What?"

"Stay," he said softly.

"Edward, I can't," Bella said sadly. He sighed and relinquished his grip on her, rejected. "Walk me out?" she asked as she stood up and held out her hand. He took it with a small smile and let her lead him to the door.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Edward said as he leaned down to kiss her. Bella stopped him, her hand on his chest, her face determined.

"You know I want to, right?" Bella asked him.

"Want to what?" he replied, confused.

"Stay. I want to, but I…" she trailed off as his glum expression changed to understanding.

"I know, Bella," he said before tipping her chin up and kissing her softly. "Have a good night."

"Thank you," she replied before leaning up for one last kiss. Edward smiled as she walked away, her earlier rejection just a fleeting memory.

xXx

"You haven't had sex yet?" Alice cried loudly. Bella shushed her and glanced around the kitchen.

"How many of those have you had?" Bella laughed and pointed to Alice's margarita glass.

"Not nearly enough! Jasper and I haven't had a "grown-up night" in _ages_. Now, tell me again why you aren't tapping that?"

Bella stifled another laugh and took her friend's drink. "I'm just not ready, that's all. And honestly, I don't think Edward is ready either."

"Oh, honey. You're so cute when you're in denial," Alice snorted and stole her drink back. "The way he looks at you…"

Bella blushed and sipped her own drink, not sure she was ready to have this conversation. She was, by no means, a virgin but still – her experience was limited and it had been quite a while. Plus, Bella wasn't even sure _what_ she and Edward were. They went out, stayed in, kissed and talked, but whether or not they were in a relationship was yet to be determined.

"Are you blabbermouths coming outside?" Jasper called from the back door.

"Coming, dear!" Alice called. She grabbed a tray of chips and salsa and beckoned for Bella to follow, their conversation ultimately ending.

Edward smiled and pulled Bella against his side, kissing her temple and stealing her margarita. He sipped it and made a face before handing it back.

"Is there something _besides_ tequila in there?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Mmm… maybe?" Bella grinned up at him and he kissed her softly.

"You guys are just too cute, aren't they cute, sweetie?" Alice teased and turned to Jasper who was manning the grill.

"Fucking adorable," he muttered and took a long pull from his beer. Alice smacked him lightly.

"What does Reagan think? Of the two of you, I mean?" Alice asked and gestured for everyone to join her around the table.

"She's fine with it. She loves Bella," Edward said and squeezed Bella's hand affectionately.

Bella smiled. "She's great, I love spending time with her," she said and glanced over at Edward.

"They have a great time together," Edward replied. "It's nice to see her smile."

"Well, she makes me smile, too," Bella whispered.

It was apparent that somewhere along the conversation they'd stopped talking about Reagan and started talking about each other.


	7. Definitions

**Good morning! **

**Stephenie owns the names. **

**Thanks to oscar519 and laurnorder. You ladies light up my life. **

**Thank you all so much for reading! I know I keep saying it but I'm seriously so overwhelmed. **

**Special thanks to DiamondHeart78 for the rec in Teacher of the Year! XOXO**

**I'm on le twitter if you want to play: /IdPattThat**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7 – Definitions<p>

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Edward asked nervously. He knelt in front of Reagan and brushed her hair from her face. She smiled and threw her arms around his neck.

"Edward, I think we're perfectly capable of surviving a week without you," Rosalie said with a small scowl.

"I know." He sighed and stood up, but Reagan held tight to his neck and came with him. Edward laughed quietly and hugged his daughter as tightly as he could.

"You're squishing me, Daddy," she whispered.

"I'll miss you," he whispered back. It was true; he would miss her. The last time Edward had been apart from Reagan for more than a day was before the divorce was final.

"I'll miss you, too." Reagan smiled and kissed his cheek. He set her down and gave a Rosalie a quick nod before heading to his car.

Bella was meeting Edward at his apartment to take him to the airport for his weeklong conference in Denver. It was tough for him to leave them both, but he reminded himself that it was only for a few days.

"So, you'll call me when you get there?" Bella asked quietly after Edward had checked in.

"I will," Edward replied before kissing her softly.

"And don't forget to let me know when your flight gets in on Sunday," she said in a rush.

"I won't." He sighed and pulled her into another kiss.

"Be good," Bella whispered. Edward laughed and held her tightly.

"Oh, I'll try," he teased half-heartedly.

"I'll miss you."

"Me too, but I've really got to go. They've called my flight three times already," he explained. She frowned and leaned up to kiss him one more time.

"Have fun," she said as he walked away. He gave her a small wave and continued on, feeling sad about the whole situation.

Since he and Bella had starting dating, they hadn't spent every waking moment together, but still – they spent enough time together to miss each other. Especially after their night with Alice and Jasper and Señor Cuervo.

"_We'll come get your car in the morning," Edward said as they got into the cab outside of their friend's house. Jasper had ceremoniously kicked them out after dinner and Alice's four margaritas. _

"_Whatever you want." Bella sighed, leaned into Edward and tilted her face to his. He told the cab driver his address and leaned in to kiss her. She tasted like alcohol and vanilla lip-gloss. It took all Edward had to clasp his hands tightly in his lap to keep himself from pressing her against the germ-ridden leather seats of the cab. _

"_Thanks, man," Edward called as he threw a few bills over the seat. Bella giggled and ran ahead up the stairs of Edward's building. He followed her, laughing as she stripped off her shoes and ran inside. The elevator doors opened and she pulled him in with her, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and kissing him roughly. _

_They stumbled into the apartment and down the hall, breathless and laughing._

"_God, you're beautiful,"he whispered against her lips. Bella laughed quietly and slipped her hands down Edward's chest. She untucked his shirt and made quick work of the buttons before he stopped her. _

"_What's wrong?" she breathed as she pushed his shirt off of his shoulders. Edward grabbed her hands to stop her and she finally met his eyes. They were dark and dangerous with a hint of worry with them. _

"_We shouldn't…" he trailed off at the hurt look in her eyes and Bella understood how Edward had felt when she rejected him just days before. _

"_Okay," Bella whispered and let her hands drop to her sides. _

"_Bella…" _

"_No, I know Edward. I mean, I'm still pretty buzzed, but I'm coherent enough to know that we need to take things slower and that we need to– "_

"_Talk?" _

"_Yeah. We need to talk," she agreed with a tight smile. Edward sighed, but proceeded to rifle through his bedroom drawers until he found an oversized t-shirt for Bella to put on. She took it silently and slipped past him into the bathroom to change while Edward did the same in his bedroom. He slipped into his bed and held the comforter open in an invitation for Bella when she finished in the bathroom. She smiled and turned the lights out before sliding in next to him. _

"_So, what are we going to talk about?" Bella asked quietly. _

"_Weather? Baseball? How pretty you are?" _

"_Edward," she groaned and rolled onto her back. Edward laughed and propped himself up on his elbow so he could look down at her. _

"_Fine," he said with a sigh. "I like you a lot. I think we should… make this official or something." _

"_You want to go steady with me?" Bella grinned and Edward covered his face with his hand. "You're so sweet, Edward. Can I wear your class ring, too?" _

"_This is really difficult for me, okay? I haven't dated for almost fifteen years." _

"_I know," Bella said softly, shifting herself so she and Edward were face to face. "And I agree, we should make it official." _

"_I don't have my class ring anymore, sorry." Edward grinned and she shoved him lightly. _

"_I'll settle for your letterman jacket. Now, shut up and kiss me, boyfriend." _

Edward smiled as he shoved his bag in the overhead compartment and took his seat. He was already looking forward to being home.

xXx

"Mommy, I don't want to wear these bows!" Reagan whined and pulled at the little pink offensive things that Rosalie had put at the end of her pigtails. She also didn't want to wear pigtails, but her mother hadn't listened to that either.

"Baby, you look so pretty!" Rosalie told her, and glanced at her in the rearview mirror. It was only the first morning of them being alone together and already she was frustrated with her daughter and sure that Edward let her get away with murder.

"Daddy doesn't make me wear bows," Reagan pouted.

Rosalie sighed. "Well, Daddy's a boy – he doesn't know what's pretty."

"Yes, he does! He tells me how pretty I am all the time. And he likes Bella and she's _really _pretty so he has to know what pretty is!"

"What?" Rosalie's eyes snapped back to the rearview mirror and Reagan sighed delicately.

"Bella. Daddy's girlfriend. She's really pretty."

"Daddy has a girlfriend?" Rosalie's voice sounded high-pitched and nervous. Reagan gave her an odd look but went on.

"Well, I _think_ she's his girlfriend. She comes over for dinner and we go to the park sometimes. Sometimes they kiss but most of the time Bella plays with me."

"Do Bella and Daddy have sleepovers?" Rosalie asked which caused Reagan to laugh loudly.

"No, Mommy!" she giggled. "That's just silly. Bella has a 'partment by the zoo."

"Hm." Was all Rosalie said.

"Bye, Mommy! I love you," Reagan called when they arrived at her school. Rosalie frowned, and watched her daughter run up to school wondering what exactly was going on in her ex-husband's house.

xXx

Edward had hardly landed in Denver and turned his phone on before it buzzed with three new messages.

_Bring me a microbrew_. From Jasper.

_Miss you already._ From Bella.

_Who the hell is Bella? _From Rosalie.

Edward replied to the first two messages, but ignored Rosalie's. It really wasn't any of her business who Bella was.

He checked into his hotel and ordered lunch. Edward didn't usually do things so flippantly when money was concerned, but considering everything would be on the company's tab, he didn't really mind. After a while, Edward figured he should probably call Rosalie and explain who exactly Bella was. Or maybe he'd just ask to talk to Reagan.

"Edward, she's in the bath," Rosalie said with a sigh. Edward frowned at the phone.

"Alright, just tell her I called then," he replied.

"Wait! You didn't answer my question!"

"What question?" Edward tried to play dumb, but Rosalie was no fool.

"Edward." She sighed.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Bella's my girlfriend. We've been seeing each other for a few weeks now. Happy?"

"I just want make sure there isn't a parade of women floating through my daughter's home, that's all," Rosalie snipped.

Edward held his tongue, but could imagine that smoke was billowing out of his ears. And then he stopped holding his tongue.

"That's rich, coming from the woman the moved her new boyfriend in the second she kicked her husband and daughter out," Edward relied coolly.

Rosalie huffed and hung up the phone. Edward rolled his eyes and tossed the phone on his bed them fell back against the mattress too. Technically, Rosalie didn't kick him out of their home. He'd left on his own. Reagan was going to be living with Rose, so it only made sense that she kept the house. He had no idea, of course, that she would change her mind about custody.

It was bad enough that Edward had to see Emmett when he picked up Reagan (though it was nice to only have to see him two days a week), but for Rosalie to be angry that he was seeing someone? Emmett was the reason he and Rose were divorced in the first place and Rose really had no right to behave the way she did.

Edward sighed, flipped on the television and waited for his room service. It had been a long day, saying goodbye to Reagan and Bella was emotionally exhausting and now he was feeling nothing but anger toward Rosalie.

So, instead of feeling sorry for himself, he picked up the phone and called the one other person he knew would make him feel better.

"You made it?" Bella answered.

Edward smiled. "I made it."

"How was your flight?" she asked.

"Fine," he said with a yawn.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine, I just didn't get to talk to Reagan tonight."

Bella frowned. "I'm sure she's fine."

"I know," Edward replied. "It's just… weird."

"You're weird." Bella laughed. "When will you be back again?"

"I just left!" he cried. Though, admittedly Edward was feeling a little smug at the idea of her missing him already.

"Well, maybe I miss you." She sniffed quietly and Edward grinned.

"Now who's the weird one?" he asked with a laugh.

"Oh, it's still you." She teased. "I've got to get to bed. Call me tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Goodnight, Edward," Bella said softly before she hung up.

Edward frowned and turned off his phone, knowing that Rosalie probably wouldn't have Reagan call so late. Talking to Bella did make him feel better. A little bit anyways.

xXx

"I've got to run across the park, will you be okay for a little while, Mike?" Bella called from her office.

"We're good!" he yelled back.

Bella left the office in search of some ointment for a wounded penguin; unfortunately, she had to trek halfway across the park for it. It was Saturday, almost a whole week since Edward had been gone. He called her every night and morning, and sometimes texted her during the day when she knew he was supposed to be in meetings. It made her feel like a kid again.

The last relationship Bella had was more out of convenience than anything. Being with Edward was something completely new and exciting.

Bella made a quick detour through the penguin habitat before returning to her office. What she saw there nearly caused her heart to leap out of her chest.

It was Reagan, standing against the observation window, completely alone. Reagan with tear-stained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes, looking lost and scared.

"Reagan?" Bella touched her shoulder softly. The little girl jumped and then threw her arms around Bella. "Sweetie, what are you doing here?"

"I lost my Mommy," Reagan said. A deep sob racked her little body and Bella held her closer.

"Okay, baby. We'll find her. You just stick with me," Bella told her. Reagan nodded and relented her hold on Bella.

"Can you call my daddy?" Reagan sniffled and gripped Bella's hand.

"I don't have my phone, Rae. Let's go somewhere they can call your mommy and maybe she can call him, okay?"

"Okay," she replied and let Bella lead her to the main entrance of the zoo. They paged Rosalie, and Bella pulled Reagan into her lap, tucking the little girl's head under her chin and holding her tightly.

Bella didn't have to ask if the frantic blonde woman was Rosalie. Her features were very prominent in Reagan, except for her eyes, of course. Edward could have mentioned that his ex-wife was gorgeous, though Bella was sure it wouldn't have helped the way she felt standing there in her drab uniform.

Reagan practically jumped out of Bella's lap and ran to her mother. Rosalie scooped her up and hugged her while scolding her mildly.

"I _told_ you to stay with me. What where you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, Mommy," Reagan mumbled. "Bella helped me, though."

"Bella?" Rosalie asked as she set her daughter down. She looked from Reagan to Bella, her eyes raking over Bella's uniform and messy hair before a look of understanding dawned on her face.

"Oh, so this is the infamous Bella." A tall, dark-haired man joined Rosalie and patted Reagan's head affectionately. The little girl frowned and leaned into her mother's side.

"Infamous, huh?" Bella smirked at the guy, assuming he was "the boyfriend". Then she erased that thought because she really didn't want to be known as "the girlfriend", even though she technically was. She wasn't, however, the cause of their divorce, so that made her feel a bit better.

"Well, we've just learned about you, that's all," Rosalie said with a kind smile. Bella tried to "unruffle" her feathers while Rosalie thanked her again for helping with Reagan.

"It's okay, Rosalie. Really. I'm just glad I was the one to find her. I would have hated if she were scared." Bella smiled down at Reagan, who detached herself from her mother and hugged Bella tightly once more.

"Thank you again, Bella. It was lovely to meet you." Rosalie held out her hand and Bella shook it quickly. Emmett gave Bella a quick nod and the three of them walked away.

"Oh! Rosalie!" Bella called and jogged after them.

"Yes?"

"I'm picking Edward up from the airport tomorrow and I was wondering if I could take Reagan with me. I know he'd love it…"

Rosalie frowned down at Reagan, who clasped her mother's hand and beamed up at her.

"Please, Mommy? I really miss him!"

"I know you do, baby," Rosalie said with a sad smile. "Are you sure it's not too much trouble?"

"Of course not. I know he misses her, too," Bella replied. Rosalie nodded and pulled a pen and paper from her purse then jotted down her address.

Bella couldn't keep the smile off her face for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, Edward would be home and she would get to surprise him with his sweet little girl.

xXx

Bella was nervous as she pulled up to Rosalie's home – the home that she used to share with Edward. It held the living room where they probably watched movies together, the bedroom that they shared, maybe a kitchen table where they'd shared family breakfasts and… no. Bella wouldn't think of things like that. She and Edward were together. She knew that he loved Rosalie, and that a part of him always would. Rosalie was, after all, the mother of his child.

But Bella also knew that Rosalie had done the unthinkable. She'd turned her back on Edward and their marriage, and hurt both him and Reagan in the process.

She knocked on the door and waited, though a bit impatiently. She was already running late and Edward had texted her when his flight left. _He _was on time.

"Hi, Bella!" Reagan yelled and threw herself at the woman on her doorstep. "Mommy! Bella's here!"

"My _God_, child. Do you have any other volume?" Emmett turned Reagan around and pretended to check her for a switch. Reagan giggled and ran off into the house. "She's been on _loud_ all morning. C'mon in."

Bella laughed politely and stepped into the foyer. The house was lovely, really. It was lived in and homey. Toys and books were littered throughout the house, but it was by no means messy.

"I'll call you before bed, okay?" Rosalie entered the foyer with Reagan and helped situate her backpack on her.

"Okay, Mommy," she replied and leaned up to kiss her mother.

"Thank you," Rosalie told Bella. Bella nodded and led Reagan to her car. She helped her into the backseat and they made their way to the airport.

"Are you excited to see your daddy?"

"I really am! I missed him lots. Do you think he missed me?" Reagan's voice was still loud, but it only made Bella laugh.

"I'm sure he did," Bella told her. The ride to the airport was quick and soon enough they were waiting outside the terminal for Edward.

"Do you think he brought me a present?" Reagan asked with wide green eyes.

Bella laughed and hugged the little girl to her side. "You're so crazy."

"I think I see him!" she yelled as she jumped up and down. Bella followed her gaze and felt her own face break into a huge grin.

It was Edward, of course. One of those rare times when he was sans suit and – as much as Bella liked him in a suit – she really did enjoy him in jeans and t-shirts. Bella watched as he ran a hand through his hair and looked around tiredly, then gave Reagan a small shove forward.

"Go get him," she whispered to the little girl. Reagan didn't need to be told twice. She took off at full-speed and practically tackled her father. Bella laughed, watching the scene play out in front of her. Edward looked down surprised as Reagan's arms wrapped around his waist, and then he smiled and lifted her into his arms and looked around.

"What are you doing here?" he kissed his daughter and looked around.

"I came to take you home," Reagan smiled winningly at her father.

Edward smiled when he caught Bella's gaze. She simply shrugged and made her way to them quickly.

"This is quite the surprise," he said before dipping down to kiss her softly. He set Reagan down and took her hand and wrapped the other one around Bella's waist.

"We thought you might like it." Bella smiled up at him. He nodded in agreement and kissed her again, feeling very happy to be back with his favorite girls.

* * *

><p><strong>Quick note: If you like non-canon you should check out AccioBourbon's "First Person, Present". It's BellaPeter. Short, sweet, and lovely. **


	8. Lucky

**Stephenie owns 'em. **

**oscar519 and laurnorder are the parts to my whole. **

**Thank you so, so much for reading!**

**Oh, and Happy Humpday. ;) **

**XOXO**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8 – Lucky<p>

Edward sighed as he pulled Reagan's comforter around her. He had missed her ridiculously and was glad to be with her. And, more than that, glad she was safe. His blood went cold thinking about the conversation he'd gotten from Rosalie while he was in Denver. Not that it was entirely Rosalie's fault; Reagan was curious and often wandered off in the grocery or department stores. He was just glad that Rosalie was honest with him... and that Bella had been there to find her.

"_What do you mean you lost her, Rose? She's not a set of keys!" Edward tugged a hand through his hair and sat down on his hotel bed. _

"_I know that Edward! Don't you think I'm upset about it? I've never lost her before. And it happened in the fucking zoo of all places!" Rosalie exclaimed and Edward immediately felt bad. He shouldn't have been so hard on her because he'd been there before. _

"_Wait… the zoo? Woodland Park?" _

"_Yes," Rosalie answered. _

"_Oh…" Edward trailed off, his voice suddenly lost as his mind raced into overdrive. He knew Bella and Rosalie would eventually have to meet if he and Bella were going to be in a relationship. Of course, Edward wanted to do it on his own terms. _

"_Here, I'll let you talk to Reagan."_

"_Hi, Daddy." Reagan's voice was quiet on the other end. _

"_You okay, buddy?" _

"_I'm fine. I was scared, but Bella helped me," Reagan explained. _

_Edward closed his eyes and stifled a groan. _

"_I love you, let me talk to mommy." _

"_Edward?" _

"_So…" _

"_She seems very nice," Rosalie said softly. Edward nodded, and then remembered his voice. _

"_She's great. I'm glad she was able to help." _

"_Me too. I mean it Edward. She was really nice," Rose said softly. Edward knew it was her way of being happy for him. Not that he cared about or needed her approval, but he did appreciate the gesture. They hung up after that, and Edward called Bella to hear her side of the story. _

He kissed his daughter's head and made his way back to Bella.

"Is she asleep?" Bella asked as Edward closed his bedroom door. She had packed an overnight bag on the off chance that Edward might ask her to stay. Bella's hopes weren't too high, however. She knew that Edward would be tired from his trip, and that Reagan would take up most of his time.

So Bella was pleasantly surprised when he'd asked her while they washed dishes. The words fell from his mouth so quickly and quietly that Bella was sure she'd mistaken him at first. But she hadn't. She smiled, kissed him, and ran downstairs to get her bag.

Edward had laughed, but wasn't very surprised. After the night at their friend's and the subsequent "relationship' talk, he knew that things were bound to progress that way – even if he wasn't _quite _ready for it to happen yet.

"Yeah, finally," Edward replied and tugged his shirt off and then his jeans. Bella took a deep breath as he threw back the comforter. He eyed her pajama shorts and t-shirt before slipping in beside her, anxious to pull her body against his.

"She had a pretty exciting day, I think," Bella said while Edward turned off the lamp next to his bed.

"More like an exciting week. Thank you, again. I'm glad it was you that found her."

"I'm glad, too," she said, resting her head next to his and brushing his hair from his face.

His hands searched under the covers until he found warm skin and soft cotton, and pulled her closer. "I missed you."

Bella laughed softly and let her body melt into his. Her hand ran up his arm and her fingers threaded through his hair to pull his face closer.

"I missed you," she replied as she brushed her lips against his gently. Edward fisted a hand in her hair and held her closer, intent on touching her, kissing her, and peeling off those ridiculous shorts that could hardly pass for pajamas. Maybe. Well, if his daughter managed to sleep in her own bed for the entire night.

A quiet knock on the bedroom door pushed all those thoughts away before they even had a chance to form completely.

Edward groaned and rested his forehead against Bella's.

"Foiled again," Bella whispered with a laugh. Edward kissed her once more before slipping out of bed and pulling on a pair of pajama pants. He sat at the end of the bed and stared at his bedroom door for a long moment.

"What am I going to say to her?" Edward asked softly. He didn't want his daughter to feel put out, like she was being pushed out of his life because of Bella.

"You won't know if you don't open the door," Bella answered. Edward patted her leg and stood up, slowly making his way to the door.

"Hi, Daddy." Reagan was leaning on the door jamb clutching her stuffed cat and staring up at him with sleepy eyes.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" Edward knelt down and brushed her messy hair from her face. She sighed and threw her arms around his neck.

"I just missed you," she whispered. Edward sighed and lifted her into his arms, then carried her to his bed. She quickly climbed under the covers next to Bella without any questions. "I can't believe you were having a sleepover without me." Reagan frowned up at her father. Bella laughed and pulled her closer, kissing her head and whispering to her.

"Hey, what's with the secrets?" Edward teased as he turned off the lights and slipped under the covers.

"Bella wants you to tell us a bedtime story," Reagan answered sweetly.

"Oh, she does, does she?"

"Like the one from the park," Bella replied.

"I think I can do that," Edward said with a smile. He pulled them both closer and started his story, trying to differentiate from the one he told at the park. It was important to him to change it up from time to time. He couldn't let them get bored with him or his stories.

Reagan was asleep within minutes and Bella was following quickly, completely soothed by Edward's voice.

"Hey," Edward whispered as he gently brushed Bella's hair from her face. She blinked and looked up at him. "I'm sorry about tonight."

"Don't be sorry. It was perfect," Bella replied quietly. Edward smiled and kissed her forehead before resting his head back on his pillow. He thought of the surprise in the airport, of dinner with his girls, and of the last few minutes with them.

Bella was right; it was kind of perfect.

xXx

"Dude, how do you do it?" Edward asked the next week as he and Jasper changed from a morning at the gym.

"Do what?" Jasper asked, buttoning up his shirt and slinging his tie over his neck.

"You know… _it_. I mean, with kids." Edward's ears burned as he said the words, immediately regretting having mentioned it.

"Ah, cockblocked by your own kid, huh?" Jasper smirked.

Edward shrugged into his jacket and sighed. "It's my own fault. She's been sleeping with me since we moved into the condo. But Bella and I have been together for almost two months now and… you know. And, I don't know – isn't that standard for relationships?"

"Hey, Christopher slept with us for the first five years of his life. But Sophie? Wants nothing to do with it." Jasper shrugged while he and Edward made their way out of the gym and to their offices.

"You didn't answer my question," Edward said as they piled into the elevator.

"I don't know, man. You'll find a way. Granted, it will probably be when Rae is with Rose or when you're at Bella's place…"

"Hm," was all Edward said.

"So, you haven't…?"

"No," Edward snapped.

"That's cool." Jasper nodded and looked away. "She's a nice girl. Maybe she just wants to wait, to make it special, or –"

"Please stop," Edward begged.

"Sorry." Jasper bit back a laugh. Edward groaned and rested his against the wall. Thankfully, the elevator doors opened and they both stepped out and went their separate ways to work.

Edward waited while his computer powered up and sipped his cheap coffee, wishing he were somewhere else. Somewhere with his daughter or Bella, or anywhere but at work.

He made it halfway through the day without bugging Jasper, but after lunch he couldn't take it anymore. Edward still had questions. He and Rosalie had never had problems being intimate with Reagan in the house. Well, until she started looking elsewhere, that is.

"I just… I need some advice," Edward said with a sigh.

"Lay it on me, my hairy-palmed friend." Jasper grinned.

Edward groaned and covered his face with his hand. He slumped over in the chair and glared at his friend.

"I'm serious Jasper. I've – I haven't – you know?"

"You were with your ex-wife since you were seventeen and have no idea what women even want anymore?" Jasper raised an eyebrow at his friend.

Edward nodded slowly, his eyes cautiously meeting Jasper's.

"It's been a long time," Edward whispered.

"Like… how long?"

"Well… Rose and I have been split up for a while now and we weren't exactly getting busy all the time, if you catch my drift –"

"That's good enough, pal."

"Dude, you asked," Edward said with a small chuckle. "I'm just lost."

"Listen – you like her, she likes you. If it's meant to happen it will. You can't rush these things." Jasper shrugged. Edward eyed him suspiciously.

"Have you been watching Dr. Phil?" Edward teased.

"What? No…" Jasper pretended to busy himself with his computer before looking back up at Edward. "Are we done? I have work to do."

Edward laughed loudly and made his way to the door of Jasper's office.

"Thanks, man," he said before opening the door.

"No problem," Jasper replied, still focused on his computer.

Edward went back down the hall to his office and thought for a long moment before he picked up the phone. Bella answered after the second ring.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of a midday phone call?" she greeted him. Edward laughed softly.

"Have dinner with me?"

"Of course. I can pick something up and meet you guys around six…"

"No, beautiful. I'll cook. Just me and you."

"Oh. What about Rae?"

"It's Wednesday. She'll be at her mom's," Edward explained.

"Okay. Yeah. Yeah, that's great. I'll see you around seven-ish?" Bella said in a rush. Edward smiled.

"Perfect," he replied and hung up without another word.

xXx

Edward moved quickly around the kitchen: stirring pasta, tasting sauce, and sautéing chicken.

He had pulled out the big guns for his and Bella's night alone: homemade Alfredo sauce and an expensive bottle of white wine, candlelight and soft music. It was weird to him, to put so much effort into something. Not that he didn't put effort into his marriage, but he and Rosalie had been together for so long that sometimes the romance just didn't happen.

Or maybe it had just been lost for a long time.

Either way, he was excited to do it all for Bella and insanely happy that she was in his life.

And he didn't want to compare Bella to anyone. He wanted to start fresh, a clean slate in terms of relationships.

"Clean slate," he muttered to himself, nodding in agreement.

"Talking to yourself is a sign of insanity you know." Bella's voice caused him to turn quickly and nearly drop the steaming pasta he'd just strained.

"Good God, woman. You move like a ghost," he teased her before setting the pot down so he could pull her into a kiss. Bella grinned and let him fold her into his arms.

"You haven't seen all my moves yet," she whispered after he'd kissed her. Edward opened his mouth to respond but her words, mixed with the low-cut but conservative dark purple dress she was wearing, caused his brain to cease working.

"Edward?"

"Oh, what? Moves. Right," he mumbled and stepped away from her.

"You okay?" Bella bit back a laugh at his discombobulated state and set to open the bottle of wine he'd set out.

"Fine, fine." Edward waved his hand airily and went back to finishing dinner. Bella settled herself against the counter with a glass of wine and watched him while he combined everything into a baking pan and covered it with cheese. "We'll let it cook for a few minutes. How was your day?"

Bella didn't answer immediately. Instead, she pulled him to her by his tie and kissed him again. Edward braced his hands on the side of the counter, a million thoughts running through his head and most of them had to do with the bedroom. He pushed them away though, intent on living the night he'd planned out.

"It was good. I was distracted, though," she said with a frown.

"Why's that?" Edward asked as he kissed her forehead and let his fingers run down her cheek.

"I was thinking about you all day," Bella admitted. Edward smiled and watched a blush creep up her skin. It felt nice to do that to someone, to have someone want him as much as he wanted her.

"Same here," he said softly. Bella beamed up at him, running her hands over his crisp, white shirt.

"Everything smells amazing, by the way," she said in an attempt to cut through the tension that had closed in on them. Not that the tension was bad, but she wanted to take things slow, to savor their night together.

"Thanks." Edward kissed her one last time before pushing himself away. He poured himself a glass of wine and took out plates and silverware. Bella stepped in before he could do anything else and quickly set the table.

"Candles, huh?" Bella asked once she'd returned to the kitchen.

"I'm trying to woo you, don't tease me." Edward pretended to be hurt and Bella laughed.

"It's working," she said quietly.

"Good," he replied with a light tap to her backside. "Grab the bread, will you?"

Bella did as he asked and followed him into the dining room. Edward served dinner and she raved over his cooking skills, though it embarrassed him to no end. She loved his modesty when it came to certain things and how he tried to deflect he attention away from himself.

"Anything exciting happen today?" Edward asked after they'd finished eating and he'd refilled their wine glasses. Not that he was trying to get Bella drunk, but lower inhibitions were always good.

"Not really. My dad called and said that he busted some small-town drug ring though," Bella explained. Edward gaped at her. He knew Forks was a small town. A drug ring sounded a bit out of the ordinary.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, some high school kids were selling their parents pain pills. He was pretty proud of himself." Bella laughed and continued to tell him the story of how her dad single-handedly brought down a bunch of high school kids.

Edward smiled and listened, enjoying the story she told. He loved to hear Bella talk about her father and how close they were, how proud she was of him. Of course, listening to Bella talk about her father only made him think about Reagan.

And, as if on cue, Edward's phone vibrated in his pocket.

"She's got great timing." Bella smiled as if she knew who was on the phone. Edward chuckled and nodded before getting up and taking his call in the kitchen.

"Hi, Daddy!" Reagan's voice was happy, something that sent a mix of emotions through Edward. He wanted her to be happy with Rosalie, but he didn't want her to enjoy it too much.

"Hey, baby. How ya doing?"

"I'm good. Mommy and me just watched a movie and I'm going to bed. I just wanted to tell you goodnight and that I'll see you after school tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay, sweet girl. I love you." Edward tried not to laugh at her run-on sentence, loving how excited she got about everything.

"I love you too, Daddy. Bye!" And she hung up the phone. Edward sighed and turned his phone on silent before joining Bella back in the dining room.

To his surprise she had already cleared the dishes and was packing up leftovers.

"I can do that," Edward said with a frown, taking the container from her hand.

"Don't be silly." She leaned up and kissed his cheek then took it back from him. "I want to help."

"Fine, stubborn woman," Edward muttered and started to load the dishwasher. Bella scoffed and threw a dishtowel at him.

"Those are fightin' words, mister," she said from the refrigerator.

"Oh, yeah?" He grinned and closed the dishwasher.

She bit her lip as he stalked toward her, both of them trying not to laugh.

"I like you stubborn," Edward whispered once he'd gotten his arms around her.

"Good," she whispered back. "Now, what else do you have planned tonight?"

"You haven't seen all my moves yet," he said against the skin of her neck. Bella laughed loudly and pushed him away.

"Real cute," Bella teased him.

"I try." He winked and took her hand in his. "Follow me."

Edward led her into the living room where he turned on the stereo. He settled on a CD he'd borrowed from Jasper and then took Bella's hand again to lead her onto the patio.

"It's beautiful out here," Bella said softly. Edward nodded and pulled her against him, wrapping one arm around her waist and taking her hand in his.

"It is," he agreed, though his eyes were on her. She blushed furiously and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You really are trying to woo me, aren't you?"

Edward chuckled and held her tighter as the song played in the background. He brushed his lips against her hair and breathed deeply.

Bella sang along softly with the song, just a whisper, and Edward felt himself smile. He listened to her quiet voice and the words she sang and let himself get lost in her.

"_The book of love is long and boring__  
><em>_No one can lift the damn thing__  
><em>_It's full of charts and facts and figures and instructions for dancing__  
><em>_But I__  
><em>_I love it when you read to me__  
><em>_And you__  
><em>_You can read me anything__  
><em>_The book of love has music in it__  
><em>_In fact that's where music comes from__  
><em>_Some of it is just transcendental__  
><em>_Some of it is just really dumb__  
><em>_But I__  
><em>_I love it when you sing to me__  
><em>_And you__  
><em>_You can sing me anything__" _

She stopped singing and wrapped both of her arms around him. Edward felt her shiver and ran his hands gently over her bare arms.

"Cold?" he asked.

"Not really," she replied. "But we should probably go inside."

Edward nodded and let her lead him back inside. He closed the door behind them and she turned quickly, though he wasn't quite ready for the force in which she threw herself at him. He caught her, and she kissed him, her hands running through his hair and then tugging at his tie.

He chuckled as her hands struggled with the knot and gently took her hands in his.

"Bella," he said her name softly and her eyes moved to his, deep brown and full of need.

"Yes?"

"This is – are you sure?" Edward asked quietly. Bella nodded in response and pulled her hands from his. He watched her back away slowly, a beautiful smirk playing on her lips. She turned after a few steps and made her way down the hallway.

Edward stood for a moment, stunned, before he slowly followed her. He was nervous, but that was understandable. It had been a while since he had been with anyone, and well, he'd really only been with one person.

But he wouldn't think about that tonight. All he wanted to think about was Bella.

"Bella?" he called her name and heard her laugh.

"I'm in here," she replied in a sing-song voice. Edward chuckled and followed the sound into his bedroom.

Bella was standing at the foot of his bed, her hands folded shyly in front of her. Edward wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her; to brush her dark hair away and slip that pretty purple material off of her body.

So he did. He kissed her gently as he untied the ribbon on her dress before slowly slipping it off her shoulders. His hands slipped down her body, over the silk slip she wore until they were fisting the material and pulling it over her head.

Bella sighed quietly, happily as she leaned up to kiss Edward. He rested his hands on her hips, his fingers grasping her tightly. Edward was unsure of what to do. He wanted to touch her, kiss her, to taste her all over and let their bodies consume each other. But he didn't want to move too fast, to be too presumptuous just yet.

Of course, when she kissed him and unbuttoned his shirt, all those thoughts fled from his mind. Edward carefully walked them backwards until they fell onto the bed with breathless laughter. Bella pushed his shirt off his shoulders and tugged at the undershirt he wore, leaving her hands free to roam his body, to explore the taught skin and slim frame that she'd admired for months.

But too soon he'd pulled away from her, his body moving down hers as his mouth dropped soft kisses on her skin.

Bella giggled as he skimmed over a sensitive spot with his fingers and Edward looked up quickly.

"Something funny?" he whispered as he placed his hands beside her head and looked down at her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

"You know I'm ticklish," Bella answered.

"I do know that," Edward said softly as he let his fingers trail down her side enjoying the way she shivered at his touch.

"Now you're just teasing me." She pulled him closer and kissed his chin.

"I'll stop." He grinned and kissed her gently before removing her bra and letting his hand travel down. He managed to slip the offensive lace barrier off her hips and down her legs before his hands were back on her skin, touching and teasing her.

"Edward," she said his name softly. Well, more softly than she intended anyways. He had said he was going to stop teasing her, after all.

Edward chuckled softly as she pulled him over her and he settled himself between her legs. He kissed her again as she made quick work of his belt and pants, frustrated that she was bare and he was still dressed. When she'd managed to remove his pants, she pushed him slightly until he was on his back and she was hovering over him.

He brushed her hair behind her ears and looked up at her. Bella's heart stuttered violently in her chest at the look in his eyes, the feel of him beneath her, at everything around her. She wanted to take her time, to explore his body until the sun came up. But – more than that – she wanted_ him_.

"Do you…" she leaned down to kiss him gently and he answered her unspoken question.

"Nightstand," he said quietly as she lifted herself over him. Bella rummaged around the small drawer until she found what she was looking for and settled herself back over Edward's body.

He found his hands moving over her thighs, grabbing her hips and lifting her as her hands touched him. All nervousness seemed to fly out the window and they moved together like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like they were made for each other. Edward tried to go slowly so he could commit it all to memory, the way she felt, the softness of her skin, and the sounds that fell from her lips.

Edward wanted to remember it all because it was all so perfect. He pulled Bella down to kiss her and she turned slightly until he was rested on top of her, all of his weight pressing onto her body. She reveled in his warmth, in the sweet words he said, and how he worshipped her with his hands.

She held him closer, kissing where she could until her whole body warmed and her eyes closed. Edward's lips were on her skin and his hands held her tightly. She couldn't stop the sounds that fell from her mouth as she gave in, clutching him to her and whispering his name.

He followed soon after, his face buried in her neck and his hands tangled in her hair. Edward pulled away and kissed her gently, too satisfied to move. Bella stroked his hair as their lips met lazily and their breathing evened out. Neither one of them spoke for a long time, both of them not knowing what to say.

"I feel like anything I say would just be incredibly cliché and ruin the moment… like that." Edward's voice finally broke through the silence.

Bella laughed loudly and Edward grinned as he kissed her.

"You're such a dork," she whispered against his lips.

"You like it," he replied.

"You bet your ass I do," Bella said, and let her hand travel down to give him a quick squeeze.

Edward yelped and slipped away from her, which only caused her to laugh harder.

"Give me a few more minutes before you start thinking about that again," he called from the bathroom. Bella sighed happily and fished around on the floor for some sort of clothes to put on. She settled for Edward's shirt and nothing else, then crawled under the covers to wait for him. He emerged from the bathroom and yanked his boxers off the floor. He slipped them on and then joined her in bed, his arms snaking around her and his lips pressed to her cheek.

"You're beautiful," he whispered into her hair.

"You don't need to woo me anymore," Bella replied quietly.

Edward chuckled and pulled her closer.

"I wasn't trying to. I was just telling you the truth."

"Oh. Well, then… keep talking," she told him as she snuggled deeper into his arms.

"I feel very lucky to have found you," he said so softly that Bella was sure she had mistaken his words. She didn't reply right away, afraid that her voice wouldn't work. Instead, she listened to the sound of his breathing and tried to steady her heartbeat.

"I feel the same way," she whispered.

Edward sighed and kissed her forehead, both of them realizing that their relationship had just taken a huge turn. Though they both knew it was in the right direction.


	9. Falling In

**Stephenie owns them. **

**oscar519 and laurnorder make me smile. **

**You guys are amaziiiinnnnnggg. I just love you all. **

**Thanks to sadt for you lovely rec on The Fictionators blog and to the Perv Ladies for the write-up in the Lemon Report! **

**XO**

**Also - it's almost Wednesday where I am so I'm updating early while I wait for Pottermore to stop teasing me! **

* * *

><p>Chapter 9 – Falling In<p>

Edward woke up early the next morning and slipped out from underneath Bella. They'd fallen asleep shortly after, wrapped up in each other and completely content. He kissed the top of her head and pulled on a pair of sweats, then crept into the kitchen to make coffee. While the coffee percolated, he thought. He thought about their night, how they fit together so perfectly, how her body felt underneath his, and how it sounded when she sighed his name.

He leaned against the counter and scrubbed his face with his hand, thinking that all he wanted to do was run back into the bedroom and slip under the covers with her. Edward wanted to touch her, taste her, to be inside of her again.

"Or you could just be a gentleman," he muttered to himself as he poured a cup of coffee. He sipped his coffee and thought for a moment. Being a gentleman was really no fun. So, Edward set his cup down on the counter and made his way back to his bedroom... quickly.

"There you are," Bella said from the bathroom door. Edward frowned. She was dressed and pulling her hair up into a messy ponytail, but more importantly… she was dressed. "Why the long face?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing." He shook his head and walked slowly to her. Bella smiled when he reached her and wrapped an arm around her waist. He pulled her against him and kissed her softly.

"Good morning," she whispered. "It would have been nice if you were actually there next to me, you know. I thought you ran out on me."

"Never," Edward replied and kissed her again, more ardently than before. "This is my house, remember?"

Bella laughed softly and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. He let his hands travel down, gripping the backs of her thighs and lifting her into his arms. Edward carried her to the bed, his body pressing into hers and his hand going to untie that little dress she'd put back on.

"I have to go to work," Bella whispered when his lips left hers. She sighed softly when he kissed the soft skin under her ear.

"Me too," Edward told her, slipping his hand under the black silk slip she wore, touching her skin gently.

"Edward," she groaned and he laughed softly.

"Alright, I'll stop," he said with a sigh and pulled away. She frowned up at him before tugging him back down by the shoulders.

"I mean… I've got a little time."

"I thought so," he murmured.

xXx

After reluctantly leaving Edward's house, Bella managed to make it home in time to shower and dress quickly for work. She stopped to at the closest Starbucks because by the time she and Edward managed to tear themselves away from each other, the coffee he'd brewed had gone cold. Bella quickly strode into her office, thankful no one was there yet and managed to fix her hair and put on some lip-gloss.

She sipped her coffee and closed her eyes, letting the night replay itself over and over. Edward was lovely and thoughtful and kind of, sort of perfect. Well, maybe not perfect, Bella knew that was impossible. But… it felt like Edward was. Or maybe he was just perfect for her. Bella knew that they should be taking things slowly, though last night had severely sped up their relationship.

Bella wasn't sorry though. Being connected to him like that was… mind-blowing.

"Morning, Bella." Mike's voice broke Bella from her trance. She turned to him slowly, her cheeks flushed from thinking about Edward.

"Oh! Hey, Mike." Bella cleared her throat and shuffled some papers around to make it look like she was actually doing something.

"Just get here?"

"A few minutes ago," Bella explained as Mike took his seat next to her. He turned on his computer and sighed, pushing his glasses up on his nose and resting his chin in his hands. "Um… everything okay?"

"Well, I met this girl," Mike started and Bella cringed internally. Mike was nice, he really was, but he was a bit of a pushover when it came to women. He'd had some rough relationships, some girls that had broken his heart.

"Where did you meet her?" _Please don't say at a bar._

"A kid's birthday party," he said sheepishly. Bella smiled.

"Hey, at least it's different than a bar! So, what's the problem?"

"She's beautiful. She's so out of my league, Bells," he groaned and rested his head on the counter.

"I'm sure that's not true," Bella said softly and patted him lightly on the shoulder.

"We're supposed to go out Friday. Maybe you and your boyfriend could come? Be like a buffer?" Mike looked up at her with big, hopeful eyes.

Bella frowned. "I'll ask Edward. He has his daughter so…"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot he had a kid. How's that going?"

"Great," Bella answered quietly, her mind automatically drifting away again. "I mean, it's really good. Reagan's really sweet and we get along really well."

"Good. Yeah, good for you. So… you'll ask about Friday?"

"Definitely." Bella smiled. "I'm going to grab something to eat. You want anything?"

"No, thanks," Mike told her as she slipped out of the office with her phone.

Bella sent a quick text to Edward, hoping she wouldn't be interrupting anything. Then again, she didn't really care if she was interrupting anything or not – she really just wanted to talk to him.

_Busy? _

She had just ordered her coffee when her phone rang.

"I was just thinking about you." Edward's voice came through before she even had a chance to greet him.

"Why didn't you just text me back?" Bella asked and took a seat at the little coffee shop near the entrance of the zoo.

"Maybe I just wanted to hear your voice," he explained. Bella smiled.

"Oh, well it wasn't really important…"

"Would you like to hang up so I can text you then?" Edward teased. Bella made a face, and then stopped, realizing he couldn't see her.

"No, no. I mean, since I've got you here…"

"Oh, you've got me alright," Edward said with a soft laugh that warmed Bella's whole body, even through the phone. "Now, was there a reason you interrupted my very important game of Solitaire?"

"Solitaire? Are you serious, Edward?"

"Our servers are down!" he defended himself.

"I'm appalled. Don't you have a calculator? An abacas?"

"Woman. What do you want?"

"Mike wants to know if we'll go out with him on Friday. He's met a new girl and wants some sort of buffer, or something."

Edward was silent for a long moment.

"Edward?"

"Who's Mike?" he asked, his voice suspicious. He'd never heard about this Mike character. Or maybe he had and he just didn't remember. Sometimes Edward found it hard to think about anything besides Bella.

"My colleague! He's really nice. You'll like him I swear."

"I trust you," Edward told her. "I'll call Rose later, I'm sure she'll be happy to have Rae the extra night. She's been doing so well and all."

"You're the best," Bella said with a smile.

"I'll expect you to make it up to me afterward," Edward said, his voice low. Bella shivered at the innuendo in his words and seriously wished she they could have spent the day with each other.

"Of course," she replied quietly. "I've got to get back to work. I'll talk to you soon."

"Sounds good, beautiful. Have a good day."

"You too." She hung up the phone with a small sigh. Bella grudgingly went back to her office to get ready for her day. She told Mike that they were on for Friday and he gave her an awkward hug before running off to start his morning routine.

The day dragged on for Bella, her mind still in a different place. In a place she was still wrapped up in Edward. Edward with his mouth and hands and all the things he could do with them. All the things he could make her feel with them.

Too many times Mike caught her daydreaming at her desk while she was supposed to be tracking mating patterns. It also didn't help that Edward continued to text her all day. The man was seriously distracting and he didn't even need to be near her.

By the time Bella actually got off of work, she was exhausted. Special projects at the zoo and a new intern meant more running around than normal, when all she really wanted to do was hang out with the birds.

As Bella slipped out of her shoes and closed the front door, her phone rang.

"Hi," she said tiredly.

"Do you know how loud three seven-year-old girls can be?" Edward's voice was just as weary as hers. Bella laughed softly.

"I'm guessing very loud?"

"I'm thinking of sound-proofing her bedroom," he told her with a chuckle. Bella could hear the faint sound of water running and things being shuffled around.

"Are you cooking?"

"Yes. I picked Rae and her friends up from dance so their moms could go to a Parent Teacher Organization meeting at school," Edward explained.

"Oh. You don't go to those?"

"No, usually Rose does. She's got that whole lawyery, PTO thing going for her. She likes to talk. I'd rather be hanging out with all these pretty girls anyways."

"You would," Bella said and smiled as she leaned back against the couch.

"I wish you were here, of course."

"Stop sweet-talking me or I just might be," she told him.

"What's stopping you?" Edward challenged and a little shiver shot through her body.

"I'm sorry, I'm just exhausted. Besides, it sounds like you've got your hands full," Bella teased.

"Very true," Edward replied. "I've got to get these girls fed, I'll call you later?"

"Okay," she agreed with a yawn.

"Or I'll just call you tomorrow?"

"Mmm… that sounds good, too."

"Goodnight, Bella," Edward said with a laugh.

"'Night."

Later, after the other girls had left and Reagan was fast asleep, Edward did call Bella, wanting to hear her voice just one last time.

"Couldn't stay away, could you?" she greeted him. Edward laughed.

"I guess not," he agreed.

"It's okay. I was going to call you anyways. Great minds, huh?"

"Mmhm," Edward mumbled as he stretched out on his bed. He wished Bella was there with him. "So, busy day?"

Bella sighed. "Just so much to do. My new intern isn't really picking things up as quickly as I'd like, so I have to keep going behind her and fixing everything. Mike had his head in the clouds all day about this _girl_. It was just a little overwhelming. And I didn't get to see you, of course."

"Well, I can only help fix one of those things. So, I'll fix it tomorrow, okay?"

"I'm counting on you, Edward," she said with a yawn.

"Where are we going?"

"Some trendy place Mike picked out," Bella told him. Edward groaned. He wasn't into trendy places, and he was pretty sure Bella wasn't either.

"Sounds… great."

Bella laughed. "I'm sure it will be fine. And if not… we can bail."

"I like that idea," Edward replied. "I'll let you get to bed."

"You don't have to…" Bella trailed off and yawned.

"I'm going to the gym with Jasper in the morning anyway," he explained. "I'll come to your place after I drop off Rae tomorrow?"

"I'll see you then. Goodnight again."

Edward smiled as he hung up, already looking forward to their night out.

xXx

"Bye, Daddy!" Reagan yelled as she dropped her backpack and ran upstairs.

"That's new," Rosalie said as she watched her.

Edward chuckled. It was something new. No tears; no clingy hugs. Hopefully they were at a turning point in their situation, though he secretly enjoyed the attention.

"I'll call her tomorrow," Edward said before turning on his heel and getting in his car. It was early, but he and Bella were going to dinner before meeting with Mike and his date. They figured if they had to spend the majority of the evening building up Mike, then a nice quiet dinner before would be their reward.

"Hi!" Bella threw open the door, kissed him quickly and then took off back to her bedroom. He followed her, amused. "I'm sorry! I just have to blow-dry," she said pointing to her wet hair while he leaned on the doorjamb. He smiled and took in the sight before him while she brushed her hair - Tight, dark jeans that hugged her body perfectly and a pretty, flowery peasant top. She was barefoot and her toes bent anxiously as she lifted herself up on them before grabbing her hairdryer.

"Go get a drink. I'll be out in a few," she said with a wave of her hand. Edward frowned and did as she said, though he really just wanted to be around her.

He made his way from the kitchen to the living room with some sort of flavored girl beer. Jasper would have rolled his eyes and asked where the liquor was. Edward walked around the room, glancing at pictures, and the books on her shelf. Old, beat-up editions of classics next to shiny, new editions of books Edward was sure had never even been opened. He leafed through a few of them just to be sure.

Just as Edward pulled a silver picture frame from the shelf, Bella finally emerged from her bedroom.

"You ready?" She touched his back softly and he turned, smiling.

"Is this you?" Edward asked, pointing to the picture in his hand. Bella pulled her lip in between her teeth and nodded before taking the picture from Edward's hand and placing it back on the shelf. It was her – with Jacob, Seth, and Leah. It was from a Fourth of July on First Beach when they were younger. All between the ages of seven and twelve, Seth being the youngest of all of them.

"Yeah. Me and some of my childhood friends. Dad would go fishing on the weekends with their dads and leave the four of us to roam First Beach. Jacob and I were the oldest," she explained as pointed to their faces. "Leah is two years younger, and Seth was the baby."

"Do you still keep in touch?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck. She melted against him with a sigh.

"Yep."

"Care to elaborate?" Edward chuckled with his lips against her skin. Bella closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

"Leah and Seth are practically my brother and sister. After their dad passed away, their mother, Sue, and my dad started spending a lot of time together. We talk at least once a week," Bella explained, turning in his arms and kissing the side of his mouth. "Dinner?"

"What about Jacob?" Edward asked as she slipped away and headed for the door. Bella stopped and turned slowly to him.

"Jacob and I… don't really talk anymore." She shrugged. Edward frowned, but let her lead him out the door.

"What do you feel like tonight?" Bella asked once they'd left her building and started walking. Luckily, her apartment was close enough to the bar Mike had picked out and there were a few small restaurants in the area. She linked her arm through his and pulled him closer. When he didn't answer, Bella stopped walking and tugged on Edward's arm until he was facing her. She reached up and smoothed the lines from his forehead before pressing a kiss to his jaw.

"Jacob and I dated after college. We'd always been best friends so it was just kind of the thing to do. We split up about a year ago. It wasn't messy, but our friendship just wasn't the same after two years of a romantic relationship."

"That's it?" he asked quietly.

"That's it." She nodded. "I don't know why it's so hard to talk about my past with you. I guess because I just want to focus on the future, you know?"

"I know. I feel the same way; only… you have to live in my past, Bella. I feel so guilty about that."

"Don't. I knew what I was getting into, trust me. You're lucky that your past is so incredibly adorable," Bella said with a smile. Edward laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I just feel… that there's still so much to learn," he explained as they began walking again.

"There is. But we have time, right?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Edward said and kissed the top of her head.

"Good. Though, I'm pretty sure I'll waste away if we don't eat soon."

"Lead the way, sweetheart."

Eventually they settled on a little Italian place with gingham tablecloths and little tea light candles on the table. All Edward could focus on was how beautiful she looked in the soft light. He'd almost forgotten that they were meeting other people later.

After the check was paid, they slipped out of the quiet ambiance of the restaurant and onto the crowded, loud street. Edward intertwined his fingers with hers as they made their way to the bar.

"How was Rae tonight?" Bella asked as they walked.

"Good. As much as I hate to admit it, I think she would like to spend more time with her mom," Edward replied.

Bella smiled and leaned into him. "Maybe it will be good for you, too."

"Maybe." Edward laughed. He didn't want to think about it though. Sure it was difficult, but he loved his daughter more than anything and just wanted her to be happy.

"Oh, there's Mike!" Bella tugged on Edward's hand and practically dragged him to the door of the bar Mike was standing in front of. The music poured out onto the street, loud and repetitive, making Edward cringed.

"Bella! There you are!" Mike smiled and stuck his hand out to Edward. "You must be Edward; it's nice to meet you." Edward nodded and shook his hand.

"Are you ready to go in? Is your date here?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, she just saw a friend…" he trailed off as a petite brunette joined them, wrapping her arm around Mike's waist and smiling up at him. "This is Jess," he said like he was introducing a queen.

"Edward!" Jess cried and quickly pulled away from Mike.

"Hey, Jess." Edward managed a polite smile and Bella nudged him softly. "Jess is Rae's dance teacher. This is my girlfriend, Bella."

"You work with Mike?" Jess asked. "What a small world," she mused..

"Definitely," Bella agreed. "Should we go in? It's getting crowded."

"Absolutely." Mike took Jess' hand and let her inside. Bella and Edward followed, a little slower than them.

"I give it an hour before they're all over each other and forget all about us," Edward said into Bella's ear as they walked. She shivered at his closeness and gripped his hand.

"Are you talking about them or us?" She whispered.

"Oh, I've already forgotten all about them," he whispered back.

As it turned out, Edward was right. Mike and Jess really did hit it off, with no need for them to buffer at all. So, when the hour was up, Edward and Bella quietly slipped out of the bar and back to her apartment.

She'd hardly closed the door before his body was pressed against hers and his lips were on her skin.

"I thought about you all day," he said as she raked her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer. "It was very distracting."

"You have no idea," Bella replied, pushing him away and taking his hand and leading him to her bedroom.

"I'm pretty sure I do," Edward said with a slight chuckle. He pulled her to him again and smiled, thinking that things in his life were finally starting to fall into place.


	10. Meet the Parents

**Steph owns 'em. **

**You seriously own me. Thank you so much for all your kind words. **

**oscar519 and laurnorder keep me on my toes. **

**This story will be approximately fifteen chapters. **

**Thank you for reading! XOXO **

* * *

><p>Chapter 10 – Meet the Parents<p>

The arm around her waist and the body pressed against hers was what woke Bella up the next morning. She smiled as she turned to face Edward, not giving herself time to freak out over the fact that there was a man in her bed for the first time in a year. Instead, she kissed his forehead and quietly slipped from his grasp so she could make breakfast.

Bella had just started a pot of coffee when her phone chimed quietly from her purse. She stumbled into the living room and found it lying on the floor where she'd haphazardly tossed it the night before.

"Four missed calls?" she muttered to herself when she'd finally managed to fish it out of her bag. They were all from her father.

She dialed his number quickly and carried herself back into the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

"Well, I'm glad it wasn't an emergency," her father's gruff voice answered.

"Good morning, Daddy," Bella said with a laugh. "You know not everyone gets up at three in the morning to go fishing on Saturdays."

"Well, they should," he answered. "But that's not why I'm calling."

"Is something wrong?" Bella sipped her coffee and leaned against he counter.

"Well… now, I don't want you to worry but–"

"Spit it out already!" she cried.

"I had a bit of an accident this morning. I'm calling you from the hospital. I'm fine. Broken foot, that's all."

"Dad!" Bella groaned and rested her head in her hand. "Why didn't you leave me a message?"

"I told you I don't want to worry you! I know you're busy and well… Sue's here and I'm just fine."

"Put Sue on."

"I told you I'm fine," he grumbled.

"You put her on the phone," Bella said again a little more demanding.

"Fine… bossy," Charlie muttered before handing off the phone. Bella could hear the shuffling and quiet arguing from the other end.

"He wants me to tell you he's fine," Sue Clearwater's voice hardly masked her amusement.

"Is he really?" Bella asked worriedly.

"He is, baby. I made him call you this morning; he really didn't want you to worry. He'll be going home this afternoon," Sue explained. Bella bit her lip and frowned just as Edward made his way into the kitchen. She let him pull her against his warm body and rest his chin on her head.

"Tell him I'll see him then, okay? And I'll bring him cookies," Bella told her.

"Will do, sweetie. Will you be staying the weekend?"

"I think so, it's been a while," she said, letting her arm wrap around Edward's body.

"Okay, I'll alert the Calvary," Sue replied. Bella laughed.

"Fine, I'll see you _all_ soon." Bella hung up the phone and set it on the counter so she could wrap her arms around Edward's neck. He looked down at her with worried eyes.

"Everything okay?" he asked before kissing her gently.

"My dad had an accident. He's fine, but I'm going to take a trip to Forks, I think."

"That'll be good for you. It's been a while, right?"

"A few weeks, yeah," she told him as she slipped away and poured him a cup of coffee. It was so natural to her, to be with him like that in her kitchen making small talk and enjoying each other.

"I'll miss you, of course," he said, pulling her back into his arms and running his hands down her arms.

"Why don't you come with me?" Bella asked before she could stop herself. Edward's eyes widened and she immediately wished she could take the words back.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. I think so." Bella nodded. "I mean, if you want. And if it's okay with Rae."

"I want," Edward said with a smile. "And I don't have to pick Rae up until Sunday night."

"Shit, I can't believe I'm doing this." Bella laughed suddenly and pressed her face against Edward's chest.

"It's kind of scary," he murmured into her hair.

"A little bit," she agreed. "I really like it, though. This feeling."

"Definitely," Edward whispered, tilting her face to his.

"I was going to make breakfast," she said against his lips.

"I'd rather have you," he replied, his hands sneaking underneath her t-shirt.

She didn't argue with him.

xXx

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Bella asked as she turned down the street to her childhood home.

"Bella, I think we're past the point of no return," Edward said with a chuckle.

"We can always turn around." She shrugged. He reached over the center console of squeezed her hand softly.

"I think I'll be fine."

"I haven't told them about you!" Bella blurted out as she slammed on her brakes at a stop sign.

"Oh… well, that's fine. I guess…"

"It's just – I mean…"

"Bella," he said softly, turning her face to his with his fingertips. "I haven't told my parents about you either."

"We _should, _though. Right? We're in a relationship. Our friends know, your daughter knows. For God's sake, you ex-wife knows. So… this isn't a big deal," she said more to herself than to Edward.

"Oh, we're a big deal," Edward teased before kissing her. "And so is that truck behind us, so you better get a move on."

Bella sighed and kept driving, though at a painfully slow pace.

"By the time we get there it will be time to leave," Edward said softly. She glared at him sidelong and pulled into a driveway.

"Happy?" she huffed.

"More than you know," he murmured, pulling her across the car and kissing her until she was dizzy.

"Stop sweet-talking me and grab the bags," she said as she reluctantly got out of the car. Edward grabbed their bags and let her lead him up the steps of her father's home. He felt like she was leading him into the lion's den. "Are you okay?" Bella asked and grabbed his hand.

Edward nodded and gave her fingers a quick squeeze. Bella smiled and opened the door, announcing herself and slipping off her shoes by the front door. Edward set down the bags and she turned to him, kissed him quickly, and pulled him through the house.

"In here!" Sue's voice carried from the living room. Edward's palms began to sweat.

"Calm down," Bella whispered as they rounded the corner. "Hey!" she called brightly. Edward smiled and watched her rush across the room to her father, who was reclined on the couch with his foot propped up on the coffee table.

"I told you not to worry," Charlie Swan grumbled as he made his way to his feet. He stepped around the table, wincing with each step though the smile on his face was threatening to break through.

"I'm not worried," Bella said, wrapping her arms tightly around her father and then the dark-haired woman who had stood up behind him.

"So… I thought you were bringing cookies?" Charlie said with a nod in Edward's direction. Edward laughed and shrugged. Bella poked her father lightly before stepping back to Edward and slipping an arm around his waist.

"I did," she said with a delicate eye-roll. "And I brought Edward. My boyfriend."

"Boyfriend, huh?" Charlie asked as he stepped forward with an outstretched hand. Edward met him in the middle of the room to shake his hand. "Well, Bella's told us absolutely nothing about you, have a seat."

Edward laughed and kissed Bella's head before doing as Charlie asked.

"This really isn't necessary, Daddy," Bella muttered and took a seat next to Edward.

"Sure it is, Bells. Now, tell me your life story, Edward." Charlie sat back down and grinned.

While Charlie grilled Edward, Sue made lunch, and Bella squirmed listening to Charlie's questions. Especially the questions about Edward's marriage and, subsequently, his divorce.

"There's really not much to say on the matter," Edward said with a shrug. "My daughter is the most important thing to me and –"

"Daughter?" Charlie choked on his tea and glared at his own daughter. Bella shrugged and patted Edward's knee encouragingly.

"Reagan. She's seven," Edward explained, then shifted in his seat and pulled out his wallet. He slipped her most recent school picture out, all messy curls and missing teeth and passed it to Charlie.

Charlie smiled at the photo and then at Edward. "I've got a couple like this," he said with a glance to the mantel. Edward followed his gaze to the pictures up there, all of Bella.

Edward laughed and Bella poked him in the side.

"No teasing. They were all before I discovered makeup and a blow dryer," she said with a frown.

"You're adorable." He gave her knee a squeeze and she sighed happily.

"You kids staying the night?" Sue asked as she cleared their dishes from lunch. Edward stood and took them from her.

"I think so," Bella said with a quick glance to her father.

"This sofa isn't very comfortable," Charlie said with a pointed look. Bella glared.

"Oh, stop that Charlie." Sue tapped the top of his head as she shuffled Edward to the kitchen.

"He's nice," Charlie said once they had left.

"Be good, Daddy. I like him a lot," Bella told him. She sat next to her father and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You better keep the bedroom door open…"

"Fine, Daddy," she sighed.

xXx

"I think he likes you," Bella told Edward after dinner that night. Edward laughed and pulled her closer to him on the couch.

"Your parents went to bed. Want to make out?" he whispered. Bella giggled and turned to him, nipping his chin and snaking her hands through his hair.

"Thank you for coming with me," she whispered.

"You're welcome," he replied and then kissed her gently.

"Did you talk to Reagan?" she asked after a moment.

"I did, she's fine." Edward sighed.

"It bothers you, doesn't it? That she's happy?"

"I'm awful, aren't I?" Edward asked. Bella shook her head and sat up so she could see him properly.

"No, you're just human." She touched his face softly and he smiled.

"When we first separated I really struggled with how I was going to handle not seeing Reagan everyday and then… then Rose wanted some time. And now? I mean, I can hardly handle two days away from her," Edward explained.

"Why did she want time? I couldn't imagine wanting to be away from Reagan." Bella frowned.

Edward looked at his hand that rested on Bella's leg, his fingers running over the rough denim of her jeans while he thought.

"I think that… part of Rose thought she missed out on a lot of life because we had Rae so young," Edward said quietly.

"But that's no excuse –"

"No, it's not. I was always the one that wanted that life, though. The kids and the house and the jobs… I think she blamed me for not seeing a lot more of life, and that's why she… did what she did."

Bella thought for a moment about what he'd said. His ex-wife _blamed_ him for giving her the most precious thing in the world? It was still something she couldn't wrap her head around. It was so incredibly selfish. But another thing also went through her mind and she thought about it so long it that her silence worried Edward.

"You still with me?" he teased.

"I'm here," she said before resting her head on his shoulder.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

"I don't want to tell you," Bella replied.

"Please?" he whispered.

"You said it was her choice to leave, her idea for the divorce, right?"

"Right."

"Would you still be married if she hadn't left you?" Bella asked so quietly Edward had to strain to hear her.

Edward shifted in his seat and pushed Bella's head off of his shoulder.

"I can't answer that," he told her honestly. She nodded and tears sprang into her eyes and down her cheeks before she could stop them, unsure why she was suddenly so emotional. "Hey, stop that." Edward quickly wiped at cheeks with his thumbs and pulled her against his chest.

"I'm sorry I asked you that," she said to his shirt.

"I think what you really wanted to know is if I still have feelings for her. Am I right?"

"Maybe," Bella sniffled.

"The answer is 'no', Bella. I'm not in love with Rosalie anymore. I wouldn't be here, with you, if I had those kinds of feelings."

"I was really hoping you would say that."

Edward sighed and held her tighter.

"Silly girl," he said into her hair, hoping she knew that he was telling the absolute truth. He wasn't in love with Rosalie anymore. All he saw was Bella.

"Shut up," she whispered, though she was smiling.

"Does your dad own a shotgun?"

"More than ?"

"Because I really, really want to kiss you until the sun comes up," Edward said with his lips close to her ear.

"Oh, well… I'm sure we can figure something out," Bella replied, slipping away from him and pulling him off the couch.

"Let's go figure something out then." He grinned. Bella lead him upstairs to her childhood bedroom, just down the hall from her father and Sue. They slipped out of their clothes, into pajamas, and then finally into bed. He pulled her close and kissed her, intent on keeping his promise to kiss her until the morning rays broke them apart.

The salty remnants from her tears were a sad reminder that they still had so much to talk about, though. She frowned when he pulled away and kissed her forehead.

"I thought you were going to kiss me all night?" Bella pouted. Edward chuckled and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Maybe some other time," he said with his lips to her cheek. "Talk to me, Bella." His voice was soft and she shivered.

After a moment she spoke and he listened. He listened to her insecurities and her hopes for the future and he countered them with sweet words and reassurances. She told him how she baked cookies every Sunday with her mother for as along as she could remember and how her father tried to pick up the tradition when she died. Bella talked until she fell asleep, leaving Edward with a little more insight to her life and a slight aching in his heart.

He knew how she felt about his past relationship and he also knew it would be a while before she would get over the insecurities. He couldn't imagine dating someone who was previously married or had children with someone else, but he knew that Bella felt like she would always be second best. As he lay there with her he vowed to make sure she never felt that way about them.

A few minutes later, Edward slipped out of bed and down to the kitchen, in need of water from all the talking and just a quiet moment by himself.

"Oh, did I wake you?" Sue greeted him when he stepped into the kitchen.

"No, I just couldn't sleep," Edward said with a small smile as he joined her at the kitchen table.

"I've got something for that," she told him and then proceeded to make him a cup of tea. He smiled in thanks and sipped from the mug, enjoying the warmth that spread through his body. "Bella always says it's too quiet here to sleep. I guess you'd feel the same."

Edward laughed. "If it's not the traffic it's the snoring."

Sue raised an eyebrow at him.

"My daughter. She snores. And she doesn't like to sleep in her own bed."

"It's understandable, you know. She wants to be close to you. When my husband passed away it was years before my children slept in their own beds."

Edward nodded, unsure of what to say. "How long have you and Charlie…?"

"A long time," she replied. "My Harry passed away about a year after Renee. We were all friends for years. Charlie and I just kind of gravitated to each other after a while. Our kids got along great, too."

"But you never married?" he asked.

"No. Maybe one day. We've got time," Sue said with a smile. "It's hard to come into an already made family; we both learned that through the years. We just got very lucky. I hope you and Bella will do the same."

Edward looked down at his mug and smiled, feeling hopeful.

"There you are." Bella's voice caused him to look up. She smiled at him from the doorway of the kitchen. Sue patted his hand before standing up and walking away.

"Goodnight, kids," she said before kissing Bella's cheek and going back upstairs.

"I think she likes me, too." Edward grinned. Bella shook her head and slipped into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder.

"They like you because I like you," she explained.

He laughed. "I'll take it."


	11. Winning and Losing

**Stephe owns, yadda yadda. **

**Hi. Yeah, it's Thursday. I'm sorry, I'm blame the cold meds. I may not update next week, I want to catch up on writing the last few chapters and this week has been really hectic. I'll tweet about it (and everything else). ;) **

**Thanks to laurnorder and oscar519 for reading/betaing. **

**Thank you all so, so much for your love. **

**XOXO **

* * *

><p>Chapter 11 – Winning and Losing<p>

"Where are you dragging me to today?" Edward asked over coffee the next morning. Bella aimed a gentle kick at him under the table and he laughed.

"You know there's nowhere else to go. You saw it all on the way in," Bella explained.

"No old stomping grounds? Favorite hangouts? Malt shops?" Edward grinned.

"No, Edward. I didn't grow up with Richie Cunningham." She rolled her eyes and got up to refill their coffee cups.

"Anybody home?" a voice called after the front door slammed. Bella smiled and dashed out of the kitchen to find Seth slipping out of his boots by the front door.

"Hey little buddy!" she yelled, throwing herself at him. He caught her and stumbled backward into the door laughing.

"I'm three feet taller than you, I don't think that nickname is really appropriate anymore," Seth said through his laughter.

"You'll always be that to me." She grinned up at him and he patted her head.

"I figured you'd come to check on Chief," Seth said as he pried himself from her grip and headed into the kitchen. "Did you bring me any cookies?" he asked, and then stopped short seeing Edward sitting at the kitchen table.

"Um… I did bring cookies. And Edward." Bella smiled sheepishly up at Seth. He laughed and stepped forward to shake Edward's hand.

"Edward Cullen, it's nice to meet you," Edward greeted him and slipped his arm around Bella's waist.

"This is Seth. My little buddy," Bella replied cheekily. Edward raised an eyebrow at her and she giggled.

"If you two will excuse me, I've got a phone call to make." Edward gave them a quick nod and went upstairs.

Bella watched him as he walked away but quickly turned her attention back to Seth.

"You've got some 'splaining to do," he said with his hands on his hips.

"About her handsome new boyfriend?" Sue asked as she entered the kitchen. She kissed her son's cheek and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Yes. And why I've never heard of him." Seth scowled and Bella tried not to laugh. He was cute when he was trying to be the "overprotective brother".

"Don't feel bad, son. We didn't know either," Charlie explained from behind Bella. She threw her hands up, suddenly feeling surrounded.

"I said I was sorry!" Bella exclaimed.

"Actually, sweetheart – you didn't. But we understand." Sue patted her shoulder and smoothed her hair. Bella leaned into her, enjoying the affection from her "almost-mom".

"He's really, really great," Bella whispered. Seth smiled.

"I trust you," he said with a laugh.

"Did you check on your sister this morning?" Sue asked while the four of them sat around the table eating breakfast.

"I woke her up, actually. She said she didn't get much sleep last night, so I told her I'd bring her lunch," Seth explained.

Sue frowned but nodded.

"How is she?" Bella asked quietly. She had been so busy with work and Edward that she had fallen out of touch with Leah over the past few weeks. Bella felt awful about it, too, considering her friend's current situation.

"She's okay," Sue said with a shrug. "Worried, but okay.

Bella stared at her coffee mug. Leah's husband had recently been deployed – right after she found out she was expecting.

"And the baby?"

"Healthy," Seth told her. Bella nodded and picked at a spot on the table.

"She'd love to see you," Charlie said, pulling her from her thoughts.

Bella sighed and cast a glance toward the stairs.

"She'd be happy that you're happy." Sue squeezed her hand gently.

"I know," Bella replied, standing up and glancing around the table.

She made her way upstairs to get dressed and tell Edward that she actually did have plans for the day.

"Okay, baby. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you, too." Edward hung up his phone and leaned back against the pillows with a groan.

"What's wrong?" Bella closed the door and climbed onto the bed and snuggled up against his side.

"Emmett bought her a puppy," he explained. Bella laughed.

"A bribe?" She asked and felt him shrug.

"Maybe," Edward said, turning toward Bella and pulling her closer.

"Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about," she told him.

"Oh, I know." Edward laughed and pressed his lips to hers. "I think it will make her want to spend more time there, though."

"Will you let her?" Bella asked, running her fingers through his hair and pulling back so she could see his face.

"I've always felt that it should be her choice, you know? It's why I pick her up in the middle of the night if she wants to come home… Of course, now…"

"You just want what's best for her." Bella frowned.

"But I also want her to like me best," Edward whispered with a grin.

Bella laughed and kissed him again.

"She does. I can tell."

"Good." He chuckled and then fell silent as his hands ran down Bella's sides and one of his legs slipped between hers.

"Edward," she chastised.

"What's the point of hanging out in your bedroom if you won't even make out with me?" Edward teased.

"My father is downstairs!"

"That makes it so much more fun," he replied, pressing his lips to hers again.

"You're awful." Bella laughed and pushed him away then sat up and smoothed her hair.

"Did you decide what we're doing today?"

"I did," she replied, pulling him off the bed and kissing his neck.

"And?"

"We're going to the beach."

xXx

"You know it's too cold for the beach, right?" Edward finally asked once he and Bella had arrived in First Beach. He was right. As October approached, the days and nights began to get progressively cooler. Today they were both dressed in jeans and light jackets as they walked hand-in-hand down the beach.

"Well, we're not actually going to the beach," Bella explained, pulling him closer and breathing him in.

"Oh, really? You're just full of surprises aren't you?"

"We're going to see Leah," she said with a smile.

"Sue's daughter?"

"Right."

"Seth's sister?"

"You've been doing your homework," Bella teased.

"Your best friend?"

"One of them, yeah." Bella nodded. "She and her husband have this little cottage on the beach. Sam was deployed a few months ago, though."

Edward frowned. He didn't know anyone in the service, but he could only imagine how tough it would be to be away from someone you loved. He had a hard enough time being separated from Reagan for a few nights.

"It's about time your skinny ass got over here," a voice called from the front porch of the house they'd approached.

Bella laughed and practically jumped up the front steps. Edward watched, enthralled with her enthusiasm and the love she obviously felt for this woman. Then he watched her help Leah up from the old porch swing and rub a hand over her belly.

"Look at this baby!" Bella cried. Leah laughed and pulled her into a hug.

"I've missed you." Edward heard her say.

"You have no idea," Bella whispered back. "Oh! This is Edward. Edward this is Leah."

"I'm assuming you've already gotten plenty of shit for keeping this a secret so I'll keep my mouth shut." Leah smirked and shook Edward's hand.

"How very unlike you," Bella teased as Leah led them inside the little house. She made them all drinks and they settled in the living room.

"So Edward, Bella just decided to rip off the Band-Aid in terms of this whole 'meet the family' thing, huh?"

Edward chuckled and sipped his iced tea. "I agreed to it, so I can't really blame her. It's been nice."

"Charlie grilled him pretty good last night," Bella said with a laugh.

"Well, you can't blame him. I'd do the same to anyone Reagan might bring home." Edward shrugged and felt Bella stiffen beside him. It was the same reaction she'd had when he mentioned his daughter to Charlie.

"Reagan is Edward's daughter. She's seven," Bella explained to Leah's confused look. "She's actually the reason we met."

"She is, isn't she?" Edward smiled and squeezed her hand. "Do you know what you're having?" He turned his attention back to Leah, not want to seem rude but still wanting to wrap himself up in Bella.

"No," she replied, resting her hand over her stomach. "We wanted to find out, but it just feels wrong without Sam here."

"Understandable." Edward nodded. Leah smiled and changed the subject then, asking Bella about work and telling her about Sam's assignment.

They spent most of the morning with Leah, leaving just before lunchtime and finding a little diner on the way back to Forks.

Bella was quiet the whole way, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Edward began to worry once they'd ordered lunch and she simply stared at her glass of water.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he reached over and took her hand.

"Yeah, I'm just worried about her, that's all." Bella frowned.

"She seems good, though. Strong."

"She is. I still worry, though."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," he said as he squeezed her hand. "I want to thank you."

"For what?" she asked, confused.

"For bringing me here. Letting me a little bit more into your world." Edward smiled.

"I'm not very good at that, am I?" Bella felt her face heat up in embarrassment.

"I understand, though. I do," he replied, trying to make her feel better. He did understand that it was hard to let new people in, especially when it came to family. There was always the chance that a relationship wouldn't work out and that was something that Edward had to worry about now that Reagan was involved.

But Edward was also very optimistic.

"I'll be better. I promise," she vowed seriously, then grinned, slid out of her side of the booth and joined him on his side. She smiled as she kissed him, her arms tight around his neck. They could have stayed like that for hours, but a not-so-subtle throat clearing broke them apart when the waitress arrived with their lunch. Bella laughed and ducked her head against Edward's shoulder while he thanked the woman.

"Well, I know that you like public displays of affection. I'll have to remember that for the way home," Edward said with a wink.

"Keep dreaming, Romeo."

xXx

After their bags were packed and goodbyes were said they were on the road again. Not before a quick chat with Charlie though.

"We'll be seeing you again soon, right Edward?" Charlie asked while Edward loaded his and Bella's bags into the car.

"Uh… yeah. Yes, sir. I suppose you will," Edward said with a nervous smile.

"And that little girl of yours. The way Bella talks about her – well, I'd like to know what's got my daughter so wrapped up," Charlie said with a laugh.

"You just wait. She'll have you wrapped around that dainty little finger in no time," Bella teased him.

"It's true." Edward shrugged, smiling to himself and enjoying the way Bella talked about his daughter.

"Please take care of yourself," he heard Bella say to her father.

"I will, kiddo," Charlie replied. She hugged him tightly and Charlie turned to Edward and shook his hand. "It was great to meet you… finally," he added with a wink in Bella's direction.

"Can it, old man," Bella called as she slipped into the car. Charlie laughed and waved as they drove away.

Edward drove, content with listening to Bella talk about her childhood and tell stories from her past. He felt like the weekend had opened up a little part of her that he had longed to know more about. She was, of course, careful not to get too in depth about her relationship with Jacob. For that Edward was grateful. He wanted to know more, but there were some things that could stay hidden… for now.

"So, Seth is screaming absolute bloody murder all because Leah is slipping grasshoppers under the bathroom door while he was in it!" Bella finished with a giggle. Edward laughed and squeezed her hand tightly then cast a quick glance over at her.

His chest tightened at the sight – sunglasses pushed up on her head, wide smile, and sun shining through her dark hair. She was beautiful.

And he was falling for her.

Hard.

"What are you thinking about?" Bella's voice broke his trance and her fingers in his hair sent a shiver through his body.

"Nothing," Edward muttered and focused on the road.

"Okay," she whispered with a smile, settling her head on his shoulder.

He sighed and kissed her forehead, then mentally zipped his lips because surely it was too early to be feeling _that_ way. But then again… why wouldn't he feel that way?

The rest of the drive was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts.

Once they were inside Bella's apartment, she dropped her bag by the front door, slipped off her shoes and made her way into the kitchen.

"Do you and Rae want to come over here for dinner?" Bella asked as she pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator. She turned around just in time to see him walking toward her, a dangerous look in his eyes. Bella nearly dropped the water in her hand as his arms wrapped around her and pulled her against him, his intentions perfectly clear. The plastic bottle fell to the ground with a dull thud when his lips met the skin of her neck.

"You teased me all weekend," he whispered before nipping her earlobe with his teeth.

"Did not," she gasped, arching into him and tangling her fingers in his hair. Edward chuckled and slipped his hands into the back pocket of her jeans.

"Maybe not, but I still thought about doing this," he told her before kissing her. Their lips moved together as need and want coursed through her body, leaving her gasping for breath and desperate for more.

He lifted her easily, the bedroom his main target, but they didn't make it that far. Bella wrapped her arms around him tightly and gave a quiet whimper when her back was pressed against the wall. Edward untangled her legs from around him and placed his hands on either side of her head, his lips back on her skin while he whispered sweet, quiet words to her.

She quickly pushed herself off the wall, her arms around his body as she pulled him to the couch. They toppled over into a mess of limbs tangled up on the leather sofa. Bella laughed and tugged at his t-shirt, her hands running over his lean body and bringing him back to her. Edward pulled away, moving slowly down her body. He pushed her shirt up before pulling it over her head and returning his attention back to the smooth skin of her stomach and then the button of her jeans. His breath was warm on her skin and she shivered under his touch.

"You're beautiful like this," he said as he slipped her jeans off.

"Only like this?" she teased.

"No, all the time," Edward answered, pulling her up and into his lap. He brushed her hair from her face and kissed her gently, then let his hands travel down. Her bra fell from his hands and she ran her fingers through his hair, bringing his mouth back to her skin and shifting her hips encouragingly.

Edward laughed against her skin. "So impatient," he murmured.

"Yeah, well… maybe I thought about it all weekend, too," she countered as she reached down to help him out of his jeans, not bothering to move from her spot in his lap. They laughed together until he finally pushed her off so he could take his pants off. He managed to extract his wallet before pulling her back into his lap.

"Safety first." He grinned. Bella shook her head and settled herself over him, watching his hands work between them. She placed her hands on his shoulders as she sunk down, her breath caught in her throat, stopping the words that she so desperately wanted to say to him. Her chest tightened at the look in his eyes and the gentle way he touched her. She only hoped he felt the same way.

Bella sighed and pulled him closer; enjoying the control he gave her and the freeness she felt when she was with him. Edward kissed her gently, teasing her mouth with his own until she gave a breathless laugh and pressed her lips to his. She could feel him smile as his fingers moved over her skin; drawing patterns and setting a fire that seemed to spread over every inch of her skin.

He whispered her name and gripped her shoulders, his lips on her neck as he pushed deeper. Bella wrapped her arms tighter around him, her movements faster and more desperate than before. She pressed her forehead against Edward's and closed her eyes, letting everything else take her over. He tangled his fingers in her hair and she opened her eyes, his grass-green ones answering the question she'd been asking herself earlier.

She kissed him then, pouring all she had into it, hoping he understood what it meant and how she felt. When she couldn't take it any longer, she pulled away, crying out quietly with her forehead pressed to his. He followed soon after with his lips on her skin and his hands in her hair, holding her close.

Edward released her face and leaned back against the couch, pulling her against his chest. They waited until their breathing evened out before speaking.

"Well… that was great, but I've got to go," Edward said with a light tap to Bella's backside.

She frowned down at him and he laughed.

"Kidding," he told her, pulling her down and kissing her nose.

"You're not funny," she called as she slipped off the couch and made her way into her bedroom. He followed, gathering their clothes on the way. He slipped on his boxers and pants while Bella was in the bathroom then sat at the edge of her bed. She gave him a small smile and walked toward him, freshly dressed in a tank top and shorts, and settled herself between his legs then kissed his head.

"I've got to pick up the kid," he said.

"I know." Bella nodded, resting her cheek against his hair. Edward's arms snaked around her waist and he hugged her tightly. "Thank you for coming with me this weekend. It really meant a lot."

"I was happy to do it, you know that."

"I know, that's why it means so much," she said, pulling back to kiss him.

"Anytime, sweetheart," Edward whispered.

"Hmm… nicknames, huh?"

"Maybe?" Edward grinned.

"Okay, Sugar-Tits. Call me later?"

Edward laughed and let her lead him into the living room to collect the rest of his clothes. He slipped on his shoes and pulled her to him one last time, not able to get enough of her.

"Sure thing."

"Tell Rae I miss her," Bella said as she walked him to the door.

"I will," he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

Bella sighed as she closed the door and leaned against it. It was there, she knew it was. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in her own heart. Getting either of them to act on it was going to be the difficult part.

xXx

Edward practically skipped up the front steps to pick up his daughter. The weekend with Bella gave him a renewed sense of hope. They'd both been able to open up a little bit about their past and their future. He knew they still had a ways to go until everything could be laid out, but Edward also knew that he and Bella were on the same page when it came to _them_.

He knocked and waited, listening to the sound of his daughter's laughter and the incessant barking that accompanied it.

_Puppy_.

"Hi!" Reagan cried as she briefly threw her arms around her father. "No, Chester!" She grabbed the puppy around the waist and hauled him back inside. Edward followed and closed the door quickly. He bent down and scratched the puppy behind the ears. Reagan beamed at him.

"Isn't he cute, Daddy? He's a Labrador. Emmett says one day he'll be bigger than me!" She giggled and held the puppy to her. Edward smiled and stood up, lifting Reagan up by the elbow.

"Very cute. Go get your stuff," he said just as Rosalie entered the foyer.

"Hey," she greeted him with a smile, mussing Reagan's curls.

"Daddy, can I stay here? I want to play with Chester." Reagan tugged on his shirt with a pout.

Edward frowned and looked between his daughter and her mother.

"It's late, baby," Edward told her. "We still have to eat dinner and–"

"Can't I eat dinner here, with Mommy?" She pleaded, holding his hand tightly.

"Reagan, I'm not driving all the way across town just to come back and get you in an hour," Edward tried to explain.

"Well, can't I stay the night?" She asked

"What?" Rosalie and Edward asked simultaneously.

"Can I stay here? Please Daddy?" Reagan clung to Rosalie's side and looked up at him with wide eyes.

Edward sighed and ran his hand through his hair. It was the very thing he had spoken to Bella about. His jealousy bubbled, and Edward briefly thought about refusing and making her come home with him. But, like he often did with Reagan, he let her have her way.

"That's fine," Edward replied. Rosalie smiled and untangled her daughter's arms from around her waist.

"Tell Daddy goodnight," she said.

Edward bent down and pulled Reagan into his arms. He held her tightly and kissed her cheek, determined to not let her see how disappointed he was.

"I love you, Daddy," Reagan said against his cheek. Edward smiled.

"I love you," he said as he pulled away and stood up. He gave Rosalie a quick nod before making his way out the door again.

Edward could have made it to Bella's house with his eyes closed, which was a good thing considering he could hardly focus on the road. He knocked and then walked in, finding the door already opened.

"That didn't take long," Bella called when she heard the door slam.

Edward tossed his keys on the kitchen counter and leaned against it, silent.

"What's wrong?" she asked when she finally turned around. "Where's Rae?"

"She wanted to stay," Edward said to his feet. Bella frowned and stepped toward him, settling herself between his feet and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Fucking puppy," Bella muttered. Edward laughed loudly and pulled her against him, kissing Bella's cheek and feeling himself smile.

"Exactly," Edward replied. She smiled and kissed his chin.

"How about I get some stuff together and we stay at your place?" she suggested. Edward nodded and relinquished his grip on her.

She didn't ask him how he felt or what he was going to do. For that, Edward was grateful. He knew it wasn't such a big deal, but it still upset him. Reagan hadn't chosen Rose over him in months. He also knew it wasn't a competition; it was about his daughter's happiness. But, he thought as he and Bella drove back to his apartment, sometimes it was nice to think about his own happiness too.


	12. Clear Skies

**Ohey there. SM owns 'em. **

**Thank you so much with your patience last week! **

**oscar519 and laurnorder make these words more better. **

**Thank you for reading - this is early because I made you wait... and because I have no patience. :) **

* * *

><p>Chapter 12 – Clear Skies<p>

Bella moved slowly around Edward's kitchen, trying not to wake him. They had been up late talking about nonsense. The last time she looked at the clock it was well after two in the morning and Edward's alarm was set for six. She decided to make breakfast for them and started mixing eggs and pulling out things for omelets. It was still early, plenty of time to sit down and enjoy the morning with each other. Bella was so involved with her cooking that she didn't hear him come into the kitchen.

"Hey," he grumbled, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her against him.

"Good morning, sunshine." Bella laughed and turned to kiss him quickly.

"Smells good," Edward commented. He poured himself a cup of coffee and watched her work for a few minutes. "I'm going to shower before you finish," he announced.

"Okay." She smiled and pulled him into a kiss before he sauntered out of the kitchen. It was a few minutes after he'd left her that there was a knock on the front door. Bella started and looked around, unsure of what to do. She couldn't ignore who was at the door, of course, but it was awfully early for people to be dropping by.

She slid to the door in her socks and tentatively opened it.

"Hi, Bella!" Reagan's voice echoed in the hallway as Edward's daughter wrapped her arms around Bella's waist.

"Hi!" Bella hugged her back then found herself looking directly at Rosalie. Rosalie in her fitted pinstriped skirt, white blouse, and shiny black pumps. Bella tugged at her zoo-regulation polo and smoothed her hair, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"Hey, sorry about this. Reagan left her library books here," Rosalie explained while Reagan ran to her bedroom.

"No problem. You want to come in?" Bella asked, trying her best to be polite and rid herself of the awkwardness she was currently feeling. "Edward's in the shower."

"Oh, no. Thanks but –"

"Where's my daddy?" Reagan asked as she made her way back to the door.

"He's in the shower, sweetie. I'll tell him you were here, okay?" Bella touched Reagan's face and brushed her curly hair away. Reagan shrugged.

"Okay," she replied. "See you later Bella!"

Rosalie gave Bella a quick smile before whisking Reagan back down the hall to the elevator. Bella sighed and closed the door behind her, feeling relieved. Not that she was jealous of Rosalie anymore, because she wasn't. Bella knew there was no reason to be jealous, that Edward was with her now and that was all that mattered.

"Was someone at the door?" Edward's voice brought her from her inner turmoil and she turned to him with a forced smile.

"Reagan forgot her library books," Bella told him before turning and heading back into the kitchen.

"She didn't want to see me?" He followed her, frowning.

"Oh! I thought you were still in the shower," Bella explained. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I'm sure she was in a hurry." Edward sighed and leaned against the counter.

She stepped to him, much like she did the night before, and pressed herself against his body. He smiled down at her and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The she kissed him. It was soft and slow until it turned into much more. His hands tangled in her hair and their mouths moved together. He felt his worry melt away under her touch.

"You're good at that, you know?" Edward said once she had released him.

"At what?" she asked innocently as he carried their plates into the dining room.

"Making me feel better," Edward explained.

Bella smiled. "Good."

They ate breakfast and made plans for that night. Edward was picking Reagan up from school and then they were having dinner with Alice and Jasper. It had been a few weeks since they had gotten together. Plus, Reagan and Christopher were practically dying for a play-date.

"Do you want me to drive you to work?" Edward asked as they stepped out of his building. Bella shrugged and glanced down the street.

"I can take the bus," she said, which made Edward frown. "I know how you feel about public transportation, Edward." Bella laughed and kissed his cheek quickly.

"It's just so…"

"Dirty?" she asked. Edward gave a noncommittal nod. "I don't want you do go out of your way. And this way I can just take the bus home and meet you later."

"Fine," he sighed and kissed her again. "I'll see you soon."

"Soon," Bella echoed. She walked slowly toward the bus stop and gave him a quick wave before boarding. After she found a seat, Bella pulled out her phone and sent Edward a quick text.

_I stepped in gum. _

She waited a few minutes, trying not to laugh.

_I told you. Next time, I drive. _

Bella laughed to herself and then tucked her phone away. She didn't _really_ step in anything, but she did like how he talked about a next time.

Her morning at work passed quickly and Bella felt that everyone in the office was finally getting the hang of things. The intern hadn't screwed anything up and Mike was working and not mooning over Jessica, so things were going smoothly.

Until lunchtime, of course.

"Bella? Tall, handsome, and uh… more handsome is here to see you. He's in the observation area." Angela grinned from her doorway. Bella smiled and made her way out of the office, tucking a stray hair back into her ponytail on the way.

Edward had never come to see her in the middle of the day before – not a weekday at least. The idea excited her for so many reasons. She practically skipped out of the service door, but stopped dead in her tracks before she got too far.

It wasn't Edward.

"Jake?"

"There you are!" he cried, grinning widely. Bella stood frozen in her spot while he strode toward her and pulled her into a tight hug.

She patted him awkwardly until he released her.

"What are you doing here?" Bella asked, pulling him to the side of the exhibit and out of the way of the patrons.

"I hadn't heard from you in a while." He shrugged. "I figured I'd stop by and see how you were."

"That's… that's sweet of you, Jake." Bella forced a smile and ignored the churning in her stomach.

"Can I take you to lunch?" he asked.

"Um, yeah. Yeah, that way we can talk," Bella agreed. She quickly clocked out and led Jacob through the park to the little restaurant she frequented sometimes. They ordered their food and sat in silence. A very awkward silence.

"So… what did you want to talk about?" Jacob finally asked.

"I just – I'm not quite sure why you're here, Jake." Bella picked at a spot on the table and refused to meet his eyes.

"I told you, we hadn't seen each other in a while. I missed you, Bells," Jacob explained with a smile.

"That's nice." Bella managed a smile and then sighed gratefully as their food arrived.

"So… I talked to Seth this weekend…" he picked up a French fry and glared at her.

"Oh, _that's_ what this is about." Bella rolled her eyes and rested her chin in her hands. "What did he tell you?"

"Nothing!"

"Spill it, Black."

"Seriously, Bella. He wouldn't tell me anything!" Jacob folded his arms and leaned back in her chair. Bella had to laugh. She wasn't exactly excited that Jacob had shown up unannounced, but she had missed him a little.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I've been seeing someone for a few weeks now," she told him and watched his eyebrows rise into his hair. "Get that stupid look off your face."

"That's just my face, sweetheart." Jacob grinned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, again – it's none of your business!" she cried, trying not to smile.

"I know, I know. But we used to be friends, tell each other stuff."

"It's different now, Jake. You know that." Bella frowned. Jacob sighed and leaned forward.

"I want us to be friends again, Bella," Jacob mumbled.

"We will be," she said as she reached over and patted his hand. "Stop snooping, though."

"I wasn't snooping!" he cried indignantly, though he was smiling. "Are you going to tell me _anything_?"

"He's great. I'm happy. Better?"

"Whatever," he muttered and shoved a fry in his mouth. "Guess that's all I'm going to get."

"Yep. Now hurry up and eat, I've got to get back to work."

"So bossy."

"See? It's like we're friends already."

xXx

Bella pulled into Alice and Jasper's driveway just after seven. She'd already texted Edward to tell him she was running late. He blamed the bus so she stopped texting him out of principle. She let herself in and followed the sound of the television into the living room.

The room had been completely torn apart. Cushions and pillows had been removed from couches and the coffee table had been pushed to the side. Jasper was smack in the middle of the mess with three little blondes surrounding him.

"Hey guys," Bella said through her laughter. They all turned and waved, except Reagan who leapt up from the cushions and hugged Bella tightly.

"I missed you!" Reagan cried, smiling up at Bella.

"I missed you, too," Bella whispered, bending down to kiss the top of her head. "Where's your daddy?"

"He's in the kitchen helping Alice," Reagan said before jumping back onto the cushions with the rest of them.

She left them alone and followed the smell of dinner into the kitchen, seeking out Edward.

"There you are," he said with a smile. Bella returned his smile, amazed at how much calmer she felt just being in the room with him.

"I'm going to check on the kids. Help yourself to some wine, Bella," Alice said before leaving them alone. She went to him quickly and let him wrap her up in his arms.

"How was your day?" he asked when she'd pulled away.

"Interesting." Bella shrugged and laced her fingers through Edward's then tugged him out the side door of the kitchen. "Come outside with me?"

"Do I have a choice?" he chuckled.

"I guess not," Bella laughed.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked once they'd gotten outside.

"I just needed to tell you something?" she questioned, doubting herself.

"What? How much you missed me?" He grinned and leaned down to kiss her. She pushed him away playfully.

"Actually, no. I don't have to tell you that anyway."

"C'mon, Bella. Talk to me," Edward sat in one of the deck chairs and pulled her down into the chair next to him.

"I don't want to have any secrets between us, Edward," she explained.

Edward nodded like he knew what she was talking about. "Okay."

"I want us to be able to be completely honest, you know?"

"Of course," he agreed, wondering what he was getting himself into.

"I had lunch with Jacob today."

"Oh." Now he understood.

"I mean, he just showed up at work and we went to the little restaurant at the zoo. Nothing fancy!"

"Bella."

"He talked to Seth after we left and my _stupid_ almost-brother mentioned our weekend–"

"Bella," he said again.

"It didn't mean anything, you know?"

"Bella!"

"Oh, sorry. What is it?" Bella finally stopped rambling and focused on Edward's face, his honest green eyes, which were currently sparkling with amusement.

"I don't care."

"You don't care about what?" she asked, confused.

"I don't care that you had lunch with him, Bella," Edward explained.

"Why not?" Bella frowned. Not that she actually wanted Edward to be angry, but she would have appreciated some sort of reaction other than his nonchalance.

"I trust you." Edward shrugged.

"You do?" Bella narrowed her eyes at him like she was trying to read his mind and figure out if he was lying.

Edward laughed loudly. "Of course I do. Bella, please don't think I base _us_ on what's happened before."

"I won't." _Anymore, _she added silently.

"I mean it, Bella. What happened with Rose… it's over. It's been over for a long time."

"I know, Edward. I feel the same about my past. I know I haven't said much about it, but there really isn't much to say." She sighed as she spread Edward's hand out and rested hers on top of it. He threaded his fingers through hers and brought their hands to his mouth, kissing hers gently.

"Do you talk to him often?"

"No. We were friends our whole lives. Everyone just expected us to end up married with a bunch of kids, but…"

"But?"

"But I didn't want any of that," Bella admitted, looking away. She focused on some random point in the yard and let Edward think about what she'd said.

It was true. Bella never thought about getting married or having a family. She was always focused on work or school. Until recently of course.

"Is that why you reacted the way you did whenever I mentioned Rae at your parents'?"

"What do you mean?" she asked warily.

"You just… got kind of tense about it," Edward explained.

"I didn't see those things with Jacob and my family knew that. I was worried what they would think when I brought you home _and_ how they would deal with the fact that you had a daughter considering how I used to feel."

"Used to feel?" Edward's grip on her hand tightened and she smiled.

"I see those things now, Edward. With you."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Edward replied, relieved. He leaned over and brushed his thumb over Bella's cheek then kissed her gently.

"Hey, Blabbermouths! Dinner's ready!" Reagan's voice interrupted their moment and they both laughed.

"You better get used to that," Edward said with a smirk as he helped Bella up. She just shook her head and took his hand in hers.

"I can't wait."


	13. The Sweetest Thing

**Hi. Steph owns. **

**oscar519 and laurnorder are more than a girl could ever ask for. **

**Thank you for reading! XO **

* * *

><p>Chapter 13 – The Sweetest Thing<p>

"Did you have fun tonight?" Edward asked as Reagan climbed into her bed.

"Yes. Is Bella spending the night?" she countered. Edward shrugged and tried not to falter beneath her gaze. Sometimes her lack of filter frightened him to no end. He dreaded her teenage days.

"I don't know," he answered honestly and Reagan frowned.

"I like when she sleeps over. Can I talk to her? I need to ask her something really 'portant."

"It's late, baby. You should get to sleep," Edward tried to reason and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

Reagan huffed and folded her comforter down with her arms.

"Please, Daddy?" she pled, and he really couldn't resist.

"Fine," Edward sighed. "Then right to sleep. Got it?"

"Yes, sir. I love you." She grinned.

"I love you," he said before kissing her head and leaving the room.

He found Bella in his room already dressed for bed and turning down the sheets.

"Your presence has been requested down the hall." Edward smiled and slipped off his shoes. Bella gave a quiet laugh and touched his face before making her way to Reagan's bedroom.

Edward got undressed and brushed his teeth, wondering the whole time what Reagan possibly needed to ask Bella about. The few minutes the two girls spent alone were killing him.

"Ready for bed?" Bella asked when she finally returned and closed the door behind her. Edward nodded as they climbed in and settled themselves in the middle of the bed, facing each other.

"What did she want?"

"To ask me something." Bella shrugged and snuggled closer to him, kissing his chin and wrapping her arms around his body.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Edward said with a laugh. He brushed Bella's hair from her face and gently brushed his lips against hers.

"She asked if I could help her on a school project. She's going to do it on penguins." Bella yawned and closed her eyes.

"Oh," he muttered. It was simple enough.

"I did tell her if she really wanted to know about penguins then you had to bring her to the zoo so I could really show her all about them," she explained.

"Of course." He should have known.

"Is Sunday good for you?"

"Do I have a choice?" Edward chuckled. The sound of it warmed Bella's body and she pulled herself closer.

"No," she replied.

Edward shook his head and closed his eyes. He suddenly felt like the two women in his life had completely taken over. His free will had been taken away and he had no say in anything anymore.

He really liked it.

xXx

"Last night was fun, huh? We should do it again." Jasper's voice interrupted Edward's work for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Don't you have any work to do?" Edward looked up from his computer and found his best friend leaning against the doorway of his office. Jasper shrugged and sat in a chair across from Edward.

"Sure. But I'm bored," he explained as he started making tiny paper airplanes from the Post-Its on Edward's desk. "By the way, Christopher is pissed he doesn't have a puppy now."

"Hey, don't blame me. Blame the douche that bought it," Edward grumbled.

"Did hell just freeze over? I don't think I've heard a negative thing come out of your mouth since all this bullshit started." Jasper smirked. Edward crumpled up one of his little airplanes and threw it at him.

"I know a bribe when I see one." Edward shrugged.

"That was obvious, man. Rae's smart though." Jasper looked at his hands, trying to dispel some of the tension he'd inadvertently created.

"She wanted to stay on Sunday," Edward admitted. "It was the first time ever, and I hadn't seen her all weekend."

"You'll have those days, man. Take it from a divorced-kid. What matters is that you do what's best for her, no matter what."

"I do."

"And that's why you're her main caregiver. Because you didn't jump ship when the waves got rough."

"You're so poetic," Edward teased. "Alice is a lucky lady."

"Fuck you."

"No thanks. Go do some work before you get us both fired," Edward said as he waved Jasper out of his office.

Jasper sighed, but did as he was told. Edward laughed to himself and wished his daughter and his girlfriend were that easy.

The rest of the week was no different than Monday. Edward and Reagan went through their normal routine, only at the end of the day Bella stayed over and was there in the morning. Wednesday night Reagan was with her mother, so they had an adult night with Mike and Jess.

Edward was a little uncomfortable seeing Jess out of the dance studio. Especially considering the way she used to pay extra attention to him. But he was glad she'd found Mike and was laying off of the inappropriate flirting in front of his daughter.

By the time the weekend rolled around, Edward was much happier than he had been on Sunday night. He also knew that he would be taking his daughter home on Sunday. Of course, he had Bella and a trip to the zoo to thank for that, but he wasn't complaining.

"Daddy?" Reagan asked as they made their way through the zoo. It was a chilly day and most of the animals were hidden out of sight.

"Hm?"

"Do you love Bella?"

Edward choked on his breath.

"What?"

"Well, she stays the night and you kiss her a lot and she's lots of fun, too. I was just wondering." Reagan shrugged and held her father's hand tighter.

"When did you get so smart, little girl?"

"I was born smart, Daddy." Reagan giggled and then ran off to the front of the penguin exhibit. Edward followed her, smiling. She was fascinating sometimes. The way some children could see the world in such black and white terms was amazing… and a little scary.

Reagan pressed her face to the observation window and watched the penguins swim, mesmerized. Edward knelt behind her and brushed her curly hair from her face.

"They're so beautiful," she whispered as her green eyes followed the sleek black birds through the water. He wanted to agree, but it was hard. Watching his daughter so completely enthralled and happy was overwhelming.

Bella watched from a few feet away, too content to disturb them. She had meant what she said when she told Edward about her past with Jacob. There were things she'd never thought about, nor wanted, until she met Edward. This was one of those things. She wanted to watch him with Reagan while she grew and learned. She wanted to watch him with other children – with their children.

She could have stayed there all day, but Edward eventually looked up and smiled when he met her eyes.

_Hi_, he mouthed.

Bella managed a small wave, though her insides had suddenly turned to mush. She still wasn't sure how he managed to do that to her.

"Hey," she greeted the two of them and tried to calm the butterflies that had suddenly taken refuge in her stomach. Bella knew why she was nervous, but that only made her _more_ nervous. She was about to bring two of the most important things in her life together.

"Bella!" Reagan cried and threw her arms around Bella who simply smiled and hugged her back just as tightly.

"Are you ready?" Bella straightened up, held out her hand to Reagan, and glanced at Edward. He nodded as if to say _lead the way_, so she did.

She led them through the side door of the observation area and down a long hallway until they reached a little office. It was cluttered and messy. Edward had no doubt it was where Bella holed herself up for most of the day doing research and working.

"Is this where you work? It's not neat like Daddy's office," Reagan said looking up at Bella.

"Well, your daddy is special isn't he?" Bella teased and Edward frowned.

"I like a clean workspace. Unlike some, who are content to work in what looks like the inside of a recycling dumpster."

Bella stuck her tongue out at him and took Reagan's hand again, leading her out of the office and back down the hall. She showed them a lab where they studied DNA from different birds, a nursery where they hatched eggs and hand-raised some of the penguins, and the infirmary where they housed sick ones.

Reagan followed, asking more questions than Edward had ever heard her ask. Bella answered every one of them, completely satisfied in sharing her knowledge. Edward simply hung in the background observing them.

"Well, that's the end of our tour. Unless…" Bella tapped her chin and pretended to think. Edward looked behind her and saw that she was standing in front of the door that led right into the habitat.

"Unless what?" Reagan frowned up at her, clearly not ready for the experience to end.

"Unless you'd like to meet one, of course!"

"Really?" Reagan clung to the front of Bella's shirt and she laughed and nodded.

"You really need to get the full experience," Bella told her before stepping back to open the huge door. She quickly pulled on a pair of heavy-duty gloves and motioned for Reagan and Edward to follow her. As they stepped inside, a little penguin that Bella had let out earlier was waiting just on the other side hopped over to them.

Reagan watched wide-eyed as Bella scooped him up and knelt down in front of her.

"This is Alfie. You can touch him if you want. Just not his face, okay?"

Reagan nodded and cautiously stuck out one little finger. She touched him tentatively and grinned.

"He's so smooth!" she said as she fanned out her fingers and stroked Alfie's feathers.

"It helps him swim fast," Bella explained, her eyes on Reagan's face the whole time.

"How do you tell them apart?"

"See these?" Bella pointed to a band around the bird's wing that was adorned with little bead-like things. "They have different colors and numbers that help me remember who is who. I can't look at him and know he's Alfie, because they all look the same. But the band has all his information and tells me he's Alfie."

"Does it hurt him?" Reagan's eyes were worried.

"No. It's not very tight. He doesn't mind it."

"Do you think he'll ever go back and live in the wild?"

"No, he won't. Alfie was born here, so he wouldn't be very safe in the wild," Bella told her and watched Reagan's face drop. "It's a little sad, but he likes it here."

"Well, as long as he's happy." Reagan shrugged and pulled her hand away finally. Bella set Alfie down and they watched him waddle around the small space. Reagan laughed as he waddled circles around Edward and in between his feet before making his way back to the gate, expecting to be let back in. Bella opened it and Reagan waved goodbye as Alfie returned to his friends. Edward led the way out of the small room and Bella closed the door behind them.

"Did you have fun today?" Bella removed her gloves and bent down to Reagan's level.

"It was awesome!" Reagan nodded enthusiastically then hugged Bella tightly around the neck, almost knocking her over. "Thank you!"

"You're very welcome," Bella replied, holding the little girl tightly against her.

"I love you, Bella," Reagan whispered. Bella stiffened for a moment and her eyes filled with tears. She was certainly not expecting that or what came next.

"I love you," she responded quietly, kissing Reagan's cheek and relinquishing her grip. She stood up and the two of them smiled at each other, hand in hand, as if they'd just shared their most precious secret.

Edward stood a few feet away, trying to regain his composure after watching the exchange.

"Um… we should… we should let you get back to work," he muttered and held out his hand to Reagan. She took it and stepped to her father, a huge smile on her face.

"I'll be off in twenty minutes," Bella told him, stepping forward and slipping an arm around Edward's torso. "Meet me at the carousel?"

"Okay." He nodded and kissed her gently before she led them out. Reagan tugged Edward through the park, oblivious to her father's sudden change in behavior.

He was stunned. The words fell from Reagan's mouth so naturally that he envied her. He was jealous of how easily she could express her feelings – how easily Bella had said it back.

"Daddy?" Reagan's voice brought him from his thoughts and he felt guilty for getting so deeply lost in them.

"Yes, baby?" He reached down and pulled her into his arms, though she was getting to big to be carried around.

"I'm really glad we came here today," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Me too," Edward agreed, kissing her cheek and setting her back down. They made their way to the carousel and found Bella waiting for them. Her clothes had been changed and her hair was loose around her shoulders. Her cheeks were tinged pink from the cool air.

Edward's chest tightened when she smiled. She was beautiful.

They boarded the carousel silently and Edward helped Reagan onto an elaborately painted white horse before joining Bella right behind his daughter. She clung to a golden pole as the ride started to move and he did the same, their feet and hands touching.

He watched her for a moment in awe.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked.

Edward smiled. "Nothing."

"Then why are you staring at me?" Bella frowned.

"I just… like to look at you."

"Weirdo." She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I envy her," Edward said with a nod toward his daughter.

"Why?" Bella looked up at him and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"She just has this ability, you know? This thing about her. She can say exactly what she wants and somehow it's _always_ the right thing," Edward explained.

"She's a kid. It's like their superpower or something," Bella responded with a shrug.

"But… she beat me to it."

"Beat you to what?" Bella questioned, though she knew what he was going to say.

"Those words, Bella. The ones I've been afraid to say for days," he replied and gently touched her cheek.

"Well, she beat both of us then," Bella said before burying her face in his shoulder. He pushed her back and tilted her chin up with his fingers, his face determined.

"She asked me if I did, you know. Just before we got here," Edward explained, his eyes locked with hers.

"If you did what?"

"If I loved you. Reagan asked me if I loved you."

"Oh," Bella muttered and looked down at her feet for a moment. When she looked back up her deep eyes sparkled with amusement. "Well?"

"Well what?" Edward asked and the corners of his mouth turned up.

"Edward!" Bella stamped her foot and gripped the placket of his jacket.

"Yes," he said with a shrug.

Bella glared. "_Yes_ what?"

"Yes, beautiful. I love you. Happy?"

"Incredibly," she whispered before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him with all she had.

"Don't you have something you want to say to me?" he asked once she'd pulled away.

"You're cute," she replied with a smile. Edward frowned and let his fingers dig into her sides. Bella laughed loudly before tightening her grip on him and kissing him again.

"I love you, Edward. There. Are _you_ happy?"

"More than you know, Bella." He grinned. "More than you know."

* * *

><p><strong>PS - Alfie is a real Rockhopper I met last March at Sea World. He's adorable. I got to pet him. :) <strong>


	14. What the Future Holds

**Hi. I don't own them. I just play with them. **

**Thanks to laurnorder and oscar519 for doing their thing. **

**Huge thanks to all of you for your continued support. **

**Next chapter will be the last so I won't be sending out teasers. **

**Happy reading! :)**

* * *

><p>Chapter 14 – What the Future Holds<p>

"Are they here yet?" Bella asked nervously as she moved around Alice's kitchen. Edward smiled and shook his head.

"You really need to relax," he told her, pulling her away from the snack foods that she had started randomly popping into her mouth as her nerves got the best of her.

"I can't!" she cried and grabbed a handful of potato chips. He rolled his eyes, but left it alone. After all, he remembered how nervous he was when he met _her_ parents for the first time.

A few weeks after their revelations on the carousel was Reagan's eighth birthday. Edward and Rosalie had decided that Alice and Jasper's home was a good common ground for a party, even though she and Alice weren't that close anymore.

The two had come together a few times to discuss the party details and, though she wouldn't admit it to his face, Edward knew that Alice was glad to have her friend back – even if it was only a little bit.

Charlie and Sue had arrived and Bella had immediately ushered them to Reagan, anxious to bring them together. Bella was sure her face would break from smiling so much as she watched her father kneel down to Reagan's level and nervously handed her a stack of presents. Reagan shyly accepted them and gave him a timid hug. She ran off after that and Charlie stared after her, mesmerized.

"I think I like her," he mused quietly. "Maybe more than I like you," Charlie added with a nod in his daughter's direction. Bella frowned and shoved him jokingly. Edward didn't have to look any further to find where Bella got her weird sense of humor.

A few other guests: Reagan's friends from school, some of Rosalie's friends from work, and Mike and Jessica were milling around outside bundled up or inside in the warm house. Alice and Emmett were in the yard organizing the kids into different games while Rosalie greeted guests. This left Bella and Edward alone in the kitchen to get the food prepared.

The doorbell rang and Bella jumped slightly. Edward smiled and kissed her cheek before going to answer it. He met Rose in the foyer and stepped back to let her open the door. His smiled widened when she did. It had been too long since he'd seen his parents.

Carlisle and Esme stepped in smiling, both of them wrapping Rosalie in a tight hug before turning their attention to their son. He kissed his mother's cheek and shook his father's hand while Rose slipped off to find Reagan.

"Come on. Don't keep us in suspense any longer," Carlisle teased him. Edward grinned and led them into the kitchen where Bella was no doubt still a nervous wreck.

"Edward? Should we go ahead and put out the – oh!" Bella stopped just outside the kitchen with her hand over her heart, stunned. She glanced from Edward to his parents before Esme stepped forward and wrapped her in a tight hug. Surprised, Bella quickly wrapped her arms around Esme and hugged her back.

"It's so lovely to finally meet you. Edward's told us so much about you," Esme told her. Bella blushed and smiled at Edward who shrugged.

"Bella, these are my parents Carlisle and Esme," Edward finally introduced them just in time for his daughter to interrupt.

"There you are!" Reagan cried before launching herself at her grandfather. He lifted her into his arms and gave her a loud kiss.

"Careful, old man," Edward said with a laugh. Carlisle glared at his son before kissing his granddaughter's cheek. Esme smiled and brushed Reagan's hair away.

"We've missed you, beautiful girl," Esme said as Carlisle set her down and she hugged her grandmother.

"I missed you too! Did you see Mommy? Did you meet Bella? Do you want to meet my friends? Did you bring me a present?" Reagan wrapped her arms around Esme's waist and bounced with each question.

Esme smiled. "Yes to all."

"Yay! Come on!" Reagan pulled her away and Carlisle followed, ultimately ending Bella's introduction. She didn't mind though.

"You told them about me, huh?" she asked once everyone was out of earshot.

"I figured it was time," he said before kissing her quickly.

"This is a kid's party, you know," Jasper grumbled as he pushed past them. They laughed and followed him into the kitchen to start setting out food and grilling things.

The party was entertaining to say the least. Kids ran in and out the house, parents laughed and talked, and Edward and Rosalie skirted around each other as much as possible. It was the first time they were together with their family and friends since the divorce. It wasn't too awkward, which they were grateful for. Most of their friends knew that they were seeing other people, so no one commented on it.

Overall, the party was a success and their daughter was happy. That was all that really mattered to either one of them.

"You need some help?" Edward managed to slip away from Bella's father to find Rosalie in the kitchen getting ready to bring out the cake. It was an elaborate sheet cake in the shape of a castle.

"I think I've got it. You can grab the plates though," Rose instructed as she placed the final candles.

"Did you make that?" Edward peered over her shoulder and she nodded. "Impressive."

"Thanks. I took a class. We'll never have to pay for birthday cakes again."

"God, I don't want to think about her getting older," Edward groaned and leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.

"She can't stay your little girl forever, Edward," Rosalie teased him and stood next to him.

"Says you." He nudged her with his shoulder and she sighed. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Rose shrugged.

"Rosalie," Edward said her name and turned to her. She ran a hand through her long hair before facing him.

"I messed things up, Edward," she said quietly. Edward stayed silent. He wasn't sure why she wanted to open _that_ can of worms on their daughter's birthday. "I mean, everything, you know? Our relationship, my relationship with Reagan… I took the house and gave her up and–"

"Technically, the house _was_ a gift from your father," Edward interjected.

"It doesn't matter, Edward. I just wanted you to know that – that I'm sorry."

Edward wanted to laugh, but he held it in. He couldn't believe that she was apologizing – not that she didn't have a reason to apologize– but it didn't quite matter to him anymore. They had both moved on; the time for apologies had long since passed.

"You can't change what happened, Rose. It's done," he said, unsure of where the conversation was headed.

"I need to fix things, Edward. With Reagan," she said as he began to walk out of the kitchen.

"Oh, so that's what this is about?" he asked as he set down the plates he was holding. "What do you want?"

"More time?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Edward sighed. He knew this was coming. The extra nights Reagan spent with her mother were bound to affect Rosalie this way. Part of him was happy. Reagan needed her mother as much as she needed her father. No matter what Rosalie had done to him, he knew how important it was for their daughter to have a relationship with her.

The other part of him was of course screaming _no_ as loud as it could.

"I'll talk to her. That's all I can give you," he said before leaving his ex-wife alone in the kitchen.

Edward put the thought out of his mind for the time being. He was too interested in watching his daughter on her big day. They sang and she blew out candles, and then opened presents. Edward and Rosalie stood on separate sides of the room while they watched their daughter.

"Is everything okay?" Bella whispered as she slipped her hand into his.

"Fine," Edward replied, squeezing her fingers.

"Liar," she teased. Edward chuckled lightly.

"It'll be fine. Don't worry," he tried to appease her but she frowned anyway.

Bella didn't actually have time to dwell on it because Reagan was opening the gift she and Edward had gotten her. Reagan's eyes widened as she opened the card and turned to Bella and her father.

Edward chuckled at her dazed expression and squeezed Bella's hand, extremely proud of himself for finding such a perfect gift.

"This is awesome!" Reagan yelled as she jumped down from her seat and ran to Edward. He lifted her into his arms and she kissed his cheek. "Daddy! This is the coolest thing ever!"

"I'm glad you like it," Edward replied with a wide smile.

"When is it? Tonight?" she asked, holding up the tickets in front of their faces. Edward shook his head and set her down, then knelt in front of her.

"Next Saturday," he explained. "At the Paramount Theatre."

"Wow," she whispered before hugging him tightly. Reagan let go quickly and ran back to where she was opening presents. He watched her tuck the three tickets to Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_ in the pocket of her sweater.

.

"Good job, Dad." Bella leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"You too," Edward told her. It had been his idea to get the tickets, but Bella had done all the legwork. Edward was smart, but not totally tech-savvy.

"We make a good team," she said before slipping her arm around his waist and pressing herself into him.

"That we do," he murmured into her hair. Edward caught his mother's eye from across the room and fought the urge to roll his own. She wore a huge smile and he could have sworn she actually winked at him. Edward simply shook his head, but returned her smile.

After Reagan finished opening presents, and everyone had cake, the guests started filing out.

After all the guests were gone, Edward found himself cleaning up outside with Emmett. They made small talk, but that was about it. Edward had made a bit more of an effort whenever he had to talk to Rosalie considering most of their conversations concerned their daughter. He had no reason to talk to Emmett and didn't really care to, anyway.

When it seemed like everything was put away, Edward found Reagan with Christopher and Sophie in the living room - completely passed out.

"She had a long day," Rosalie said with a quiet laugh from behind him. He watched her kneel down and smooth their daughter's hair, and then kiss her forehead. "I really need you to think about what I said earlier, Edward."

"I will." He nodded and helped her up. Edward carefully lifted Reagan into his arms and carried her out to Rose's car. Everyone exchanged goodbyes in the driveway before going their separate ways. Bella and Edward's parents had found that they were staying at the same hotel and planned to have breakfast the next morning without their children.

"You kids be good," Charlie called as they parted. Bella snorted and shook her head, fighting the urge to tell him the same thing.

Edward was content as he drove away, not worried about what their parents would say to each other. He knew that they would get along and that they were happy for him and Bella.

"Do you hear that?" Bella asked once they'd reached his apartment.

Edward closed the door behind him and shrugged. "Hear what?" he asked as he slipped off his jacket and then helped Bella out of hers.

She turned to him with a grin.

"Nothing. We're alone," she explained and tugged him to her.

"Hm." He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and leaned down to kiss her. "Should be a good night's sleep then, huh?"

"Why are you such a tease?" Bella pushed him away and started down the hallway. He watched her for a moment until he realized that she was leaving a trail of clothes down the hall. Edward followed quickly, nearly tripping over his own pants before slamming the bedroom door.

As much as Edward loved his daughter, he knew that nights alone with Bella would be scarce. The idea that there were going to be many more nights with Bella made him happier than he had been in a long time.

xXx

"Bella? Can you help me fix my hair?" Reagan appeared at the door of Edward's bathroom with a brush in one hand and a sparkly barrette in the other. It had been a week since Reagan's party and they were all busy getting ready for their night out.

"Sure, baby," Bella said, pulling Reagan in front of the mirror with her. "Are you excited about tonight?"

"Yes!" Reagan replied excitedly, bouncing on her feet. Bella pulled her blonde curls back and clipped them in her barrette.

"Go see if your daddy is done working so we can go to dinner." Bella twirled Reagan out of the bathroom, enjoying the sound of laughter echoing through the apartment.

"He's done!" she heard Reagan call a moment later. Bella quickly slipped on her heels and made her way to the living room. Edward was buttoning Reagan's coat over her frilly little dress. Bella smiled as he kissed her nose and then her cheek loudly.

"Come on, you crazy kids!" Bella cried, staring at them with her hands on her hips. Reagan giggled and jumped up and down while Edward handed Bella her coat.

They walked the short way to the restaurant with Reagan chattering on the whole time.

"Bella, your daddy told me you read all the books he gave me for my birthday. Did you?"

"I did." Bella smiled and squeezed her hand. It had been a surprise to her when her dad and Sue had shown up laden with gifts for Reagan when they hadn't even met her yet. She and Edward had watched the exchange between Charlie and Reagan with huge smiles. Bella knew just how smitten Charlie would be with her so she wasn't surprised when she found them curled up on the couch reading from one of the books Charlie had gotten her.

"He's really funny. He makes all the silly voices like Daddy does," she explained.

"Daddies are good at that, aren't they?" Bella asked with a quick glance at Edward. Edward winked at his girls before pulling them off the sidewalk and into the little restaurant where he'd made reservations at just for their night.

"Can I get anything I want?" Reagan asked as she perused the menu.

Edward chuckled and flipped her menu over to the side with the kid's choices. "Yes. From here."

"Can I have dessert first?" she asked with pleading green eyes. Edward shook his head and tried not to laugh at her severe pouting.

"After the show we'll stop somewhere and have dessert, how's that?" Bella asked. Reagan thought about it before setting her menu down in silent agreement.

Edward raised an eyebrow at Bella who simply shrugged and smiled. He was amazed at how well Bella handled everything with Reagan.

After the party and the conversation with Rose, he was thinking more and more about the future and about what time away from Reagan would mean for their relationship. He had taken time during the week to talk to Reagan about spending more time with her mother. Reagan was excited about the possibility, which ultimately made Edward a little sad but he knew it would be for the best.

Somewhat selfishly, Edward knew that more alone time with Bella meant that their relationship could progress even more. They loved each other and knew that their future held, no matter what had happened in the past.

When dinner was finished, Edward let Bella drag them onto the city bus that would take them to the theatre. He only glared a little as he pulled his daughter onto his lap. Reagan seemed to vibrate the closer they got. Her little hands were shaking when they finally reached the theatre and she grasped both Bella and Edward's hands in them.

Once in their seats, Reagan watched the other people file in with her chin resting on the ledge of the box seats they were in. Edward slipped his arm around his daughter and kissed her head before taking Bella's hand in his.

Reagan didn't move from her spot the entire show. She watched, completely mesmerized by the performers and bright lights. When it was over they practically had to drag her from her seat and she didn't stop talking about the show until they had reached the little diner that Bella had taken him to on their first date.

"Did you have fun?" Bella asked after they'd ordered pie and coffee.

"Yes! Oh my _gosh_. It was so cool! The costumes were so pretty! I loved the songs, did you love the songs? Wow, it was great," she finished with a sigh and rested her head in her hand, a dreamy smile on her face.

"We're glad you enjoyed it," Bella said, brushing a stray curl away from her face. Their orders arrived after that and they ate and chatted about school and work.

"Can I play a song?" Reagan changed the subject abruptly, looking expectantly at her father. Edward fished around in his pocket and handed her his loose change. She took off toward the jukebox and they watched her, constantly in awe of her enthusiasm.

"Tonight was perfect," Bella said, slipping her hand into Edward's. He nodded and kissed her knuckles.

"Oh, she's playing my song," Edward said with a huge smile. He slipped off his jacket and joined his daughter in the middle of the diner. Bella bit her lip and tried not to laugh as Edward bowed extravagantly and held out his hand to Reagan. She giggled and took it then let her father lift her up onto his feet.

Bella watched them, enthralled with the love they shared. She felt lucky to be a part of their lives.

"Your husband and daughter are adorable," the young waitress who had taken their order said from behind her. Bella turned quickly, her eyes wide. Sure, she'd thought about _those_ words but she'd never actually spoken them aloud.

"Oh, they aren't – I mean, thank you. They are, aren't they?" She said, feeling herself turning red. It wasn't a complete lie. Deep down Bella knew that it was inevitable, that she and Edward would eventually get to that place.

When their dance was over, Reagan and Edward made their way back to Bella. They paid their bill and left the diner, walking hand-in-hand down the street. Somewhere along their walk Reagan let go and ran to the window of a toy store. The lights were out in the store, but the display window was lit up, illuminating different toys and gadgets.

Edward wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulders and pulled her against him.

"I love you," he whispered into her hair. She smiled and kissed him, feeling more content than she had been in a long time.

"How far in the future do you think?" Bella asked, the words coming out in a rush. Edward's eyes widened as he pulled back, his lip between his teeth. "I mean, I just… do you think very far? About us?"

"Do you?" he asked with his lips close to her ear. She nodded into his shoulder, suddenly embarrassed at her lack of filter.

"Sometimes," Bella admitted quietly. Edward chuckled and kissed her cheek.

"I do, too," he told her.

"Good." She grinned tugging him down and kissing him again. "I'm going to remember you said that, you know," Bella vowed.

"I hope so."


	15. Captivated

**Steph still owns them. **

**oscar519 and laurnorder are seriously more than a girl could ask for. Thank you for taking this on with me.**

**Thank you, RCH81 and rosellebec for all your support and for prereading this chapter! :) **

**Huge thanks to all of you for reading/rec'cing/reviewing/tweeting. Thank you for all your love, it means so much.**

**This is the last chapter! **

**I'll see you around!**

**XOXO, **

**Ashley **

* * *

><p>Epilogue - Captivated<p>

"So then Samantha invited Christopher to her party and _completely_ ignored that I was standing next to him!" Reagan finished her story with a flourish and slammed her hands down on the seat of Edward's car.

Edward gazed out the window, unsure of what to say. Reagan was in her first year of high school and every week it was something different. It made him realize that he missed the days when Reagan's biggest problem was making it to dance on time or doing her spelling homework. He also didn't miss the dramatics of high school. At all.

"Um…"

"Daddy! Weren't you listening?" Reagan admonished him and he bit back a laugh.

"Sorry, baby girl. You know I'm not good with stuff like this!" he defended himself fruitlessly.

Reagan sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You're hopeless, Dad."

"You can talk to your mom about it when we get home," he grumbled, side-eying his daughter. Reagan smiled, knowing she'd hit a soft spot. Edward hated that he couldn't solve all her problems anymore.

A few moments later, he pulled his SUV into the driveway of a modest two-story home and his daughter practically flew out of the passenger seat. He grabbed her forgotten backpack and followed her into the house, immediately greeted by the sound of laughter.

He grinned and hung up her backpack by the door before following his children's voices.

"Stop it! I can't breathe!" Edward heard his son giggle from the living room. He found them on the couch, Reagan tickling her little brother relentlessly while he squirmed, a huge smile on his face.

"Alright, Rae. You know how upset your mom will be if he dies," Edward joked and helped Wren up from the confines of his sister's arms. Wren had been born within the first year of their marriage. He was the spitting image of Edward, right down to his bright green eyes, which was something Wren liked that he shared with his big sister.

Reagan sighed, but agreed before setting off to find Bella. It was an easy task – she simply followed the smell of dinner to the kitchen.

"There you are!" Bella turned away from the stove with a smile, baby Adam on her hip and a spoon in her free hand.

"_What will I call Bella?" Reagan frowned and gently touched the black tie her father wore. Edward watched the war in his eight-year-old's eyes and felt his chest tighten. He knew this would happen – that she wouldn't want to upset Rosalie, but wanted to appease Bella as well. Of course it was all because of a name. _

"_You can call her whatever you want, baby. Bella doesn't care," Edward explained, kissing his daughter's forehead and meeting his new wife's eyes across the room. _

"_But she's like my mom, and if you have any more kids then they'll call her 'mom' and I'll feel left out!" she cried, her lower lip trembling. Edward tried not to laugh as he held his daughter closer. _

"_You two can talk about it, okay?" he suggested. _

_Reagan sighed. "Okay," she agreed before slipping off his lap and running to Bella. Edward watched his daughter tug Bella down to her level and whisper something in her ear. Bella smiled and nodded before hugging Reagan tightly. _

_Reagan scampered away in search of her Grandpa Charlie and Bella quickly made her way to Edward. He had a hard time focusing on anything but the way the pretty white material clung to her body. _

"_What did she ask you?" he asked, trying to focus on the conversation and _not_ the unholy thoughts that were currently running through his head. _

"_If I would be her 'Mama'." Bella grinned and pulled her husband up and into her arms. _

"_Oh, really?" Edward returned her smile and kissed her quickly. "And?" _

"_I told her I would be honored." _

"Hey, Mama," Reagan greeted her stepmother with a kiss on the cheek and then took the curly-headed baby from her. "Oh my _gosh_. He gets fatter every time I see him!" she laughed as she pretended to struggle with the infant.

"You just saw him four days ago," Wren said from behind her before settling himself at the kitchen table.

"Well, he seems fatter." She shrugged and stuck her tongue out at him. Wren frowned and looked up at his father. Edward just mussed his hair and then greeted his wife with a kiss. Reagan carried the baby out of the kitchen and they watched Wren follow, though a bit reluctantly, it was tough for him to be back in his big sister's shadow. Though it was typical "Wren Behavior" – that he was thankful for the first two days his sister was gone, then spent the other two wishing she were back and pretending to be miserable without her.

"He'll be fine," Bella told Edward, reaching up to smooth the lines of his face.

"I wasn't worried about him," Edward muttered and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"What's wrong?" she asked, stepping to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"High school," he groaned, pressing his forehead to hers.

"We knew it would be difficult." Bella smiled and kissed him gently.

"But did we know it would be _this_ difficult? She was never like this." Edward frowned.

"She's fourteen, Edward. She's growing up," Bella said with a shrug.

"I can't think about it. I can't think about parties and boys and how I'm going to have to kill my best friend's son one day," Edward ranted on, tugging at his hair. Bella stifled a laugh and handed him a cold beer.

"Go and enjoy her now – before you start murdering teenage boys everywhere." She pushed him out of the kitchen. He tugged on his tie and made his way through the house until he finally found them back in the living room. Adam was playing happily in his playpen, watching his siblings with wide brown eyes. Reagan had settled at the coffee table to color with Wren.

He kissed both of their heads and sat on the floor across from them. Edward listened while they talked and found himself smiling again, feeling less worried about his daughter _growing up_.

Reagan was a great big sister. She'd taken the job very seriously since they'd first found out Bella was pregnant. Never once had she complained or shown any amount of jealousy toward the boys. Of course, it helped that she was also a big sister by her mother, too. As close as Reagan and Bella had become, the same had never happened for Reagan and Emmett. They carried a mutual respect for each other, but it didn't go much further than that. Reagan loved her little sister, but she and Emmett never bonded much. It was something that always pained Rosalie, though she understood her daughter's reluctance. Gaining back Reagan's trust was something that she still had to work on.

"_We need to talk to you, sweetie," Bella said nervously while she watched Reagan lift a spoonful of chocolate ice cream to her mouth. _

"_About what?" Reagan eyed her father and stepmother warily. She'd gotten two new stepparents and news of a baby sister all within the past year, any conversation that started with those words put her on alert. _

"_Well, we just wanted to tell you that–"Edward started to speak. _

"_You're having a baby, aren't you?" Reagan interrupted with a frown. _

"_Um, yes?" Edward looked hopelessly at Bella for help. Bella sighed and moved to the seat next to Reagan. _

"_Yes, we're having a baby. Is that okay?" she asked, slipping her arm around Reagan's shoulders and pulling her close. _

_Reagan sighed. "Do I have a choice?" _

_Bella laughed quietly. "Not really, baby." _

"_Will you love it more than me? Since it'll be your baby?" Reagan asked, her deep green eyes imploring. _

"_Of course not!" Bella vowed, hugging her little girl tighter. "No one could ever take your place." _

"_Then I guess it's okay. Do you think you can have a boy? I'm already going to have a little sister, and I think it would be fun to have one of each." _

"_We'll try," Edward replied with a wink. Reagan giggled and went back to her ice cream, content for the time being. _

"Lily says that 'cause you and her are sisters, she's my sister too. Is that true?" Wren asked, looking from Reagan to Edward. Edward sighed. He knew having the two of them in the same kindergarten class would eventually turn a weird corner. He could almost imagine all the backwoods ideas that Wren and Lily's teacher had about their families.

"Not quite, buddy," Reagan answered, stifling a laugh. Wren frowned again, then shrugged it off and continued coloring.

"Rae! Phone!" Bella called from the kitchen, ultimately ending their conversation. She jumped up from the floor and sprinted into the kitchen, then upstairs and slammed her bedroom door.

"Daddy, will you help me finish my picture?" Wren asked. Edward nodded and pulled his son into his lap. They colored quietly, and Edward couldn't help but think about the days when he would do the same thing with Reagan – coloring or reading for hours with her with no interruption.

They stayed like that until Bella called them for dinner. Edward lifted Adam from the playpen and sent Wren upstairs to get his sister. A few moments later he was back downstairs, his eyes wet with unshed tears.

"What's wrong?" Edward quickly knelt down and pulled his son to him.

"She – yelled – at me," he hiccupped and buried his face in his father's shirt. Edward sighed and looked up at Bella. She nodded and left the boys in the kitchen, gently touching Edward's shoulder on her way out.

Bella took the stairs quickly and tapped on Reagan's bedroom door.

"Dinner's ready," she called.

"I'm not hungry!" Reagan yelled back. Bella stifled her groan and opened the door to find Reagan sprawled out on her bed, holding a book in the air and reading.

"What's wrong, sweet girl?" Bella took the book from Reagan's hands and pulled her into a sitting position. Reagan shrugged and picked at her comforter.

"Nothing," she muttered.

"So you're just up here wallowing and making your brother cry for no good reason?" Bella asked.

"I made him cry?" Reagan looked up, her eyes worried.

Bella nodded. "Not that he'd ever let you see, of course. He's got to be tough, you know." Bella smiled and brushed Reagan's hair from her face. "So, tell me what's wrong."

"It's just – there's this girl at school that likes Christopher…" Reagan trailed off and Bella sighed.

"Oh."

"It's not that I like him _that_ way, you know? He's my best friend. But this girl is just awful! And she always calls me Ree-gan, which is so not my name. She's just a jerk!" Reagan said and dramatically fell back onto her bed. Bella tried not to laugh, knowing that it would only upset her daughter more.

"Have you talked to Christopher?"

"Yes, but he doesn't care. He likes her too," Reagan explained before pulling a pillow over her head. Bella pulled the pillow away and tapped Reagan's nose.

"You two have been friends for a long time, I'm sure it will all work out. In the meantime, you should come have dinner with your family. They've missed you," Bella said, pulling Reagan up by the arms.

"Okay," Reagan sighed and stood up, smoothing her hair and then holding out her arms.

Bella quickly pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Don't say anything to your father about this," she whispered.

"Why not?" Reagan asked, confused, as she let Bella lead her downstairs.

"Let's just say he's being… protective."

Reagan giggled but agreed. They found the boys in the dining room, eating quietly while Adam banged happily on his high chair.

Reagan slipped into her seat next to Wren and quickly leaned over to kiss his cheek. He blushed and stared at his plate for a moment.

"Can I be excused?" he asked in a rush. Edward laughed but nodded. Wren gave his sister a fleeting hug before running out of the room.

The rest of dinner passed as it normally did, with no mention of school or boys. Edward was grateful for that, but even more so, he was grateful that his daughter was back. The half of the week he was without her was nearly excruciating, even with three other people in the house.

Bella knew it made him sad when Reagan was gone. And, if she were being honest, the whole house seemed a little gloomier without her presence. She still remembered the first day she met the two of them and exactly how she felt then. The feeling, if at all possible, had only multiplied over the years and she knew it was the same for Edward.

As they dinner finished and kids got ready for bed, Edward couldn't help but feel lighter having Reagan back under his roof. He and Bella did their nightly routine: crossing the hall, kissing children, and singing songs to get little (and big) ones to sleep. When they finally met at their bedroom door, hands intertwined and smiles on faces, he found himself hoping that their nights would always be like that - full of love and happiness.

He hoped that they would always be captivated by their family, their lives, and by each other.


End file.
